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Impact and influence of Spanish colonialism
Spanish colonization in America before 1700
Spanish colonialism in North America
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English vs. Spanish Explorers The Spanish and English settlers, explorers, and perhaps conquerors had approached this newfound land now called America with different agendas that would change their lives and the natives that were already here. In the north, English settlers had been recruited from farmers, artisans, lumberman, and other countries immigrants, while the Spanish explorers in the south were conquistadores, soldiers, and missionaries that wanted colonize the land. Both the English and Spanish settlers had original plans and ideas that they may or may not have followed through with. The English colonists came to northern America to escape the rapid growing population and economic recession that was leaving many with no works.
King James I had sought to expand their power and influence of Christianity to the native people, as well as find gold and other riches. It was believed that what the Spanish had found in the south would also be discovered in the north. The English had some experience with colonizing but this new land was more difficult as it was hot and humid. The settlers had little or no experience of how to hunt, fish, or farm. Local Indians called the Wampanoag helped the colonists in the beginning with food and taught them how to live off this new land as the British did not help out the settlers as they continued to struggle. During the “starving time,” many colonists were dying of hunger and disease which prompted colonists to try and go back to England, however a new governor made them go back to Jamestown. It did not help there was some fights between the colonists who were trying to struggle for survival and the Indians protecting their home. Perhaps the British parliament did not fear an uprising from the colonies due to the fact that survival was difficult leaving little time for revolutionary change. In contrast to the English who arrived as settlers, the Spanish were sent by the crown for the sole benefit of gaining riches and expanding its empire. In 1542, “The Very Brief Relation of the Devastation of the Indies” describes how the Spanish were not content with what the Indians gave them for free. Once the Indians decided to defend themselves it was a massacre since the Spanish had horses, pikes, and other more potent weapons. Since they had more interest in conquering rather than settling, there was not a large population increase. It was an easier approach since the military had power and resources to take what they wanted from the Indians. Those were not killed by the Spanish were either taken prisoner and/or converted to Catholicism. These objectives were only short term, hence no large Spanish population settlements were created. The Spanish had more short term goals whereas the English created the first and permanent colony called Jamestown. The diversity of the English colonies which consisted of those who were fleeing religious persecution at Plymouth and those in Jamestown guaranteed the success of their adventures. Although few, the two explorers had some commonalities such as, spreading disease that the natives haven’t had before, and rely on trade to keep their economy going. As to whether the English or Spanish approach to the new world was more effective, no doubt the English were.
The Chesapeake and New England regions were settled by people of English descent, but by 1700, they had become two distinctly different societies. They had evolved so differently, mainly because of the way that the settlers followed their religion, their way of conducting politics and demographics in the colonies. Even though the settlers came from the same homeland: England, each group had its own reasons for coming to the New World and different ideas planned for the colonies.
After the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492, the powerful Old World scrambled to colonize it. The three major nations involved in this were Spain, France, and England. Spain took more to the south in the Central American and Mexico areas while France went north in the Canada region. The English came to America and settled in both the New England and Chesapeake area. Although the people in these regions originated from the same area, the regions as a whole evolved into different societies because of the settlers’ purpose for coming to America and the obstacles faced in both nature and with the natives.
During the late 16th century and into the 17th century, European nations rapidly colonized the newly discovered Americas. England in particular sent out numerous groups to the eastern coast of North America to two regions. These two regions were known as the Chesapeake and the New England areas. Later, in the late 1700's, these two areas would bond to become one nation. Yet from the very beginnings, both had very separate and unique identities. These differences, though very numerous, spurred from one major factor: the very reason the settlers came to the New World. This affected the colonies in literally every way, including economically, socially, and politically.
Although the English were not the first Europeans to explore or colonize North America, their settlements along the Eastern seaboard became the thirteen colonies that later formed the United States. England relied on private trading companies to establish a presence in North America. Two of these groups, the Virginia Company was the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. “ The Jamestown colony was modeled after a military expedition, transplanting about 100 hardy Englishmen into the Virginia…”(Smith 3). And the voyage of the Mayflower, bringing people to Plymouth, Massachusetts.” ...1620-1647 describes this journey and provides a glimpse of the settler's life in what became New England.” (Bradford 5). Jamestown and Plymouth
On October 12, 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on unknown territory, however, in his perspective of Earth he thought he made a new route to Asia. He travels throughout the lands, soon, he discovers new forms of inhabitant plants, as well as, indigenous people that were native to those lands. Years later he soon unravels that it was all unaccustomed terrain. The monarchy of Spain also discovers Columbus’s new discoveries, then, they send more explorers to conquer the lands. In 1520, Hernan Cortes goes with the order from Spanish royalty to go to the newly discovered lands to conquer them, also, help expand the Spanish empire. Overall, Columbus and Cortes both reported the new lands they recently discovered back to Spain, however, their descriptions
The colonists immigrated to the New World in search of religious freedom. Their entire early experience was a constant struggle for survival. To the colonists the New World was their way out of poverty and into the
The Spanish and English cultures were scarcely similar and notably different because of the interaction with indigenous people and the timing in which the interactions occurred. The Spanish and English were very different in how they interacted with the indigenous people. The Spanish main reason for coming to North America was to spread Catholicism. In the Catholic church if two people were both Catholic then the two people would receive the sacrament of marriage. After marriage the two would create a Catholic of their own. This had created 5 new races of people. The races of humanity was then looked at as social classes. The highest social class was a full white European, then a mestizos, which was a someone who was European and an Indian, followed by Indians, African slaves, and lastly a Zambos,
There were many reasons why the colonists came to North America. One reason was because they wanted to escape King Edward so they could fallow freely their own religion and to seek riches. Also the Puritans came to North America because they wanted a lace to practice their religion without fear of the government. Also that the religion they wanted to practice was considered more fundamentalist than what was being practiced from where they came. the English colonies were successful in North America was because the British tried so many times to get more money the colonists got mad and boycotted- refuse to use-the British goods. Then the British government kind of loosened their restraints and gave the American colonists some freedom.
Two different English settlements came to the Americas, one that goes by the name Jamestown that was led by Captain John Smith and the other named Plymouth led by William Bradford came to Americas with no knowledge of the terrain or the people they might encounter. From the long journey on the Mayflower, leaving England for multiple reasons, having to built a new salvation through the harsh conditions, and hoping their main purpose is achieved peaceful.
Compare and Contrast Between Hispanic Culture and American Culture I. Introduction The Hispanic population has experienced incredible growth in the past decade in the United States of America. In 2006 it was estimated that the Hispanics cover 11% of the population in North America. Their origin is in Mexico and the few Spanish speaking countries in the Caribbean. American culture is derived from people who originated from the European nations like Italy and the Great Britain.
After the discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus, European Nations competed in a race against one another to claim pieces of the new land. Before Columbus found this land, the sea separating the New World from Europe seemed endless, and mundane. The Europeans were only interested in the land to the East. But with the New World as a new hat thrown into the ring, the Europeans tossed aside their old toy to go play with a new one. This time period of conquest over the New World was known as the Age of Exploration, and by the 1700s, they kept their pickings. A New World meant more land to build homes and plant crops, and more money to be earned by buying out new houses and selling new crops grown in foreign soil. Spain claimed Mexico, and the Southwest portions of what would be known as America. France got their hands on most of present-day Canada, as well as Louisiana. The Dutch set foot on land they called New Amsterdam, however, The English, who had settled their first colony in Jamestown, Virginia, drove the Dutch out and claimed New Amsterdam for themselves, later renaming it New York. The English claimed more land as time passed, and eventually they had formed 13 different colonies in the Eastern part of America. The English Colonies were separated into 3 different regions. The New England Colonies (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire), the Middle Colonies (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware), and the Southern Colonies (Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia). The New England Colonies were the earliest of the 3 regions, founded by English Settlers seeking religious freedom. The Middle Colonies were also founded by settlers seeking religious freedom. The Southern Colonies,...
As white settlers poured across the mountains, the Cherokee tried once again to compensate themselves with territory taken by war with a neighboring tribe. This time their intended victim was the Chickasaw, but this was a mistake. Anyone who tried to take something from the Chickasaw regretted it, if he survived. After eleven years of sporadic warfare ended with a major defeat at Chickasaw Oldfields (1769), the Cherokee gave up and began to explore the possibility of new alliances to resist the whites. Both the Cherokee and Creek attended the 1770 and 1771 meetings with the Ohio tribes at Sciota but did not participate in Lord Dunnmore's War (1773-74) because the disputed territory was not theirs. On the eve of the American Revolution, the British government scrambled to appease the colonists and negotiate treaties with the Cherokee ceding land already taken from them by white settlers. To this end, all means, including outright bribery and extortion, were employed: Lochaber Treaty (1770); and the Augusta Treaty (1773) ceding 2 million acres in Georgia to pay for debts to white traders. For the same reasons as the Iroquois cession of Ohio in 1768, the Cherokee tried to protect their homeland from white settlement by selling land they did not really control. In the Watonga Treaty (1774) and the Overhill Cherokee Treaty (Sycamore Shoals) (1775), they sold all of eastern and central Kentucky to the Transylvania Land Company (Henderson Purchase).
The Spaniards arrived at the Americas prior to the English. The Spanish mainly wanted to explore in the first place because after the Black Death, the population increased, and thus, so did the frequency of commerce. There was a sudden new interest in new products and the new strong monarchs who sponsored the journeys wanted to be more affluent. Therefore, explorers such as Christopher Columbus attempted to go west to target Asia. However, he ended up on Cuba and called the natives Indians. The Spanish soon started to consider the Americas less of a blockage and could now see it as a source of resources. In 1518, Cortes arrived into Mexico with his group of conquistadors, or conquerors, which is a proper name because the men after gold exterminated native areas using their military skills, brutality and greed to turn the Southern America into a vast Spanish empire. The smallpox the Spanish unknowingly carried also helped wipe many people out. When they saw the religious ceremonies of the Aztecs that produced many skulls, they thought of these people as savages and not entirely human. This of coarse was quite hypocritical because the Spanish have killed before during the Inquisition for their faith. It was this contempt that made them think it was all right to slaughter the natives. Spanish colonies were established when conquistadors had gotten a license to finance the expedition from the crown to fixture encomiendas. These encomiendas were basically Indian villages that became a source of labor. The Spanish dreamed of becoming wealthier from South America, but they also wanted a profitable agricultural economy and to spread their Catholic religion (the Pueblo Indians converted to Christianity), which became very important in the 1540s.
The Effects of Colonization on the Native Americans Native Americans had inherited the land now called America and eventually their lives were destroyed due to European colonization. When the Europeans arrived and settled, they changed the Native American way of life for the worse. These changes were caused by a number of factors including disease, loss of land, attempts to export religion, and laws, which violated Native American culture. Native Americans never came in contact with diseases that developed in the Old World because they were separated from Asia, Africa, and Europe when ocean levels rose following the end of the last Ice Age. Diseases like smallpox, measles, pneumonia, influenza, and malaria were unknown to the Native Americans until the Europeans brought these diseases over time to them.
Life for the Spanish and Portuguese settlers in the new world was mainly looking for gold and wealth at the beginning of their time in the new world. Eventually, the settlers began to mix in with the natives there. The conquering Spanish men would marry native women and they would have children together. Of course at the time, the slave trade was big and they were treated very harshly. Most were struggling to begin a brand new life in a new place.