Spanish Southwest vs' New England Colonies

872 Words4 Pages
Comparing the Spanish Southwest to the New England colonies Many people often look back on their lives with regret. As humans we find ourselves wishing that we could change the past. A man by the name of Nicki Giovanni once stated that it is important to “embrace change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you’re in and take advantage of it” (Nicki Giovanni). In the sixteenth century, the idea of a new beginning, with better opportunities, was enough to cause the movement of several Europeans from both England and Spain to a new world known as America. Both the New England colonies and the Spanish Southwestern settlements in America offered a chance at a new life in what was literally thought of as as a different world. Although both settlements were created because of opportunity, both had substantial factors that differentiated the two. The Spanish settlements in the Southwest and the English settlements in the Northeast colonies of New England differed economically, politically and religiously as the Spanish sought to establish influence and the English sought to establish long-term settlements affecting the outlook in both regions. One of their primary differences was their economies. The greatest economical difference between the Spanish settlements and the English settlements was that the English focused on sustaining an agrarian style of cultivate land. The Spanish, on the other hand, focused on attaining material wealth. The New Englanders based their economies on tight-knit farming communities, later transitioning to light manufacturing in the seventeenth century. The colonists provided material goods for the mother country while serving as an overseas market for finished goods. These materials included things such as timber and grain. They profited on their own labor so that they did not have to rely on England for their

More about Spanish Southwest vs' New England Colonies

Open Document