european colonization of the americas

Although there is some debate as to whether the prehistoric, Clovis culture was

European in origin, the first generally accepted European colonists were the

Norse, starting but then abandoning a colonisation process. (For more on this, see Vinland.)

The first phase of modern European activity in this region began with the oceanic crossings of Christopher Columbus (1492-1500), sponsored by Spain, and those of other explorers such as John Cabot, sponsored by England, and Giovanni da Verrazano, sponsored by France and according to some the German Didrik Pining and, the possibly mythical, Polish John of Kolno 1473, sponsored by Denmark.

This was followed, notably in the case of Spain, by a phase of conquest: The

Spaniards (just having finished a war against the Muslims in the Iberian peninsula) replaced the Amerindian local oligarchies and impose a new religion:

Christianity. European diseases and cruel systems of work (the famous haciendas and mining industry) decimated the Amerindian population. Black African slaves were introduced to substitute the Amerindian. On the other hand, the Spaniards did not impose their language in the same measure and the Catholic Church even evangelized in Quechua, Nahuatl and Guarani, contributing to the expansion of these Amerindian languages and equipping them with writing systems. One of the first school for Amerindians was founded by Fray Pedro de Gante in 1523.

The Portuguese switched from an initial plan of establishing trading posts to an extensive colonization of what is now Brazil.

(See also: Conquistador, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, Hernán Cortés, Francisco

Pizarro, Spanish Conquest of Yucatan, Treaty of Tordesillas, Treaty of

Alcaçovas)

In the British and French regions, the focus of economy soon shifted from resource extraction to trading with the natives. This was also practiced by the

Russians in the northwest coast of North America. After the French and Indian