While the English colonies were growing rapidly along the Atlantic seaboard, French fur traders and explorers were venturing deep into the heart of North America. It could be only a matter of time before the rivalries between France and England elsewhere in the world would be sharply reflected in a final struggle for the ownership of the North American continent. the primary differences between the French and English Colonization policies are the following: the French colonies treated the natives with great diplomacy, whereas the British colonies treated the natives as savages and lesser creatures. The French approach to colonization was based on integrating its colonial people into a “Greater France" through cultural assimilation and administrative centralization. on the other hand, British Indirect rule was a system where external military and tax control was operated by the British, while almost every other aspect of life was left to local pre-colonial aristocracies who had sided with the British during the conquest.
Assignment Chapter 2: A Continent on the Move Chapter 2 marks the beginning of European rule within the New World colony in North America. While the economy was weakening in Europe, the nations sought out to follow Spain’s conquest of exploration and colonization of new wealth in America. The Spanish, French, and Dutch were the three empires which battled for this new wealth and better economy in the New World. From government issues to contact with the Native Americans, they were all faced with many challenges and opportunities during this time period in order to achieve this. The Spanish, French, and Dutch had many similarities and differences in starting their empires in North America.
From 1688 to 1763 the British and French fought four wars that were mainly European in origin but which determined the colonial situation, in some cases for two centuries. The main prize they were contending for was the continent of North America. In 1763 the British would ultimately triumph and get the continent of North America. The four harsh wars convulsed Europe. It was a struggle for domination in Europe as well as the New World these wars were fought on waters and soils of two hemispheres.
(p. 2 European Exploration) Although Spain's new claims created the Spanish Empire, the extent of its lands was still unknown. The empire depended on the success of the conquistadores, who were commissioned to explore and conquer the newly claimed land in the Americas. (p. 6 European Exploration) Simón Bolívar a Latin American revolutionary grandiose in his schemes, headstrong and difficult, Conquered enormous obstacles in gaining South America’s independence from Spain. (p. 1 Latin American Sources) Bolivar journeyed to Europe in 1804 and visited Italy and France, where Napoleon I’s grandeur impressed him. (p. 1 Simón Bolívar) From a tutor he learned Enlightenment ideas and was especially attracted to philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Fist of all they brought with them superior weaponry. The Native Americans at the time were only using primitive weapons by our standards, and here the Europeans come with muskets and body armor. Although this is by no means the only reason that they were able to conquer America it did help in the fact that it made them a superior force, it made them harder to kill which made them more powerful. Along with their advanced weaponry they had the fact that all of their forces were consolidated. The Native Americans despite having a staggering lead in the number of bodies were spread out among the country.
Mainly all original westward exploration was due to desires for gold and riches and in the case of the English this was no exception. After the recent victory over the Spanish ambitious English monarchs used the combination of overcrowding and overwhelming patriotism to fuel an energetic boom of westward exploration. While the northern English colonies did not find the gold and treasures that they were looking for they did find ways to create opportunities for financial growth. Virginia, the location of the first English settlement, used tobacco exportation as an effective money making operation. The Carolinas came later and was created and advertised as a location for the poor under-class to have a second chance at wealth.
This establishment quickly collapsed and the first permanent English colony of Jamestown was established 20 years later in 1607. With over a 100 year head start on England it would make sense that Spain capitalized the most on the New World; however it is quite the opposite. The differences in the colonization process helped England capitalize more by giving them the resources needed to bring them into the Industrial Revolution, and led Spain into a period of decline. There are many differences in how England and Spain colonized the new world. These differences include; the location of the colonized land, the treatment and relationship of the natives, reason for colonization, and the capitalization of the natural resources.
While establishing the colonies was a universal hardship suffered by all prospective settlers, a closer inspection of various internal and external factors will allow us to understand why it was England that emerged as the dominant presence of the New World. There were many reasons independent of British control that ensured their colonial success in North America. The Spanish had preoccupied resources and were negatively affected by intermittent warfare with various nations, including the Dutch, the French, and the British. (Graebner, Fite, and White 22). They were also more interested in conquering and converting than they were establishing trade routes and settlements ("English, French, and Spanish Exploration (Overview)”).
Though Portugal was probably the largest country for exploration another center country was Spain. Spain founded and conquered American civilizations in what is now modern day Mexico. The three main civilizations were the Aztecs, the Incas, and the Mayans. The reason they went west instead of east like other countries was because of the Line of Demarcation. The Line of Demarcation was made by Pope Alexander VI to divide the east and west when the
Over time, Spain began to build up quite the empire in the new world Columbus had discovered. The Spanish empire extended from South and Central America, with major cities especially in Mexico and Peru, as well as through the Caribbean and southern North America, mostly centralized in areas known today as California, New Mexico, and Florida. However, Spain was not the only European country to have its sights set on this wondrous new world. England and France also wanted their share of the wealth, resources, and territory these newly discovered lands promised, and they posed a serious threat to Spain’s dominance in the New World. England eagerly sent Italian explorer Giovanni Cabato, also known as John Cabot, to venture and explore North America’s northeastern coast in 1497 and 1498.