During the European age of expansion in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, various European nations were colonizing the newly discovered Americas. Spain and France would become prominent players in the Western Hemisphere, both conquering and colonizing new territories. However, each country had different methods of developing their colonies in the New World. Spanish and French settlements contrasted greatly with one another in terms of economic development and Native American relations. The economies of Spanish and French colonies differed from one another, considering their geography. For example, the Spanish established colonies in the south, while the French mainly established colonies near present-day Canada. The differences in …show more content…
Spain’s colonies developed a profitable agricultural industry. In the warmer surroundings of the south, a variety of crops such as sugarcane and tobacco were cultivated on plantations. The French, on the other hand, had little success with farming. Instead, their fishing and fur trade was more advantageous, and the French formed a trading alliance with the local natives. To protect their economic interests, in 1627, the king of France gave the Company of New France a fur trade monopoly. Despite these differences, both Spanish and French colonies shared the similarity of mercantilism. The discovery of gold and silver in the Americas led the Spanish crown to strictly regulate trade in the colonies. Likewise, France used various mercantilist policies to control the flow of trade. For example, Jean Baptiste Colbert, the chief minister of Louis XIV from 1661 to 1683, prohibited the export of money, and promoted French shipping. In addition, he encouraged the export of raw materials from French colonies to France. The trans-Atlantic …show more content…
After observing local natives, the first Spanish conquistadors came to the conclusion that the Native Americans were barbaric and in dire need of Christian teachings. Thus, Spanish colonists made it their mission to convert the local natives to Christianity, using violence when there was resistance. In 1597, there were a series of uprisings by the Guale Indians in present-day Florida. They destroyed many missions, explaining that the Spanish missionaries had attempted to eliminate their religious practices such as feasts and celebrations. The Spanish also oppressed the Native Americans, and used them as a labor force under the encomienda system. The French, on the other hand, are known for their peaceful alliances with the Native Americans. Colonists established trade agreements with the local natives, obtaining raw goods such as fur and timber. Their peaceful relationship may in fact be attributed to the Spanish; the “Black Legend” of Spanish cruelty towards Native Americans made other European countries eager to prove themselves different. The French took pride in the fact that they treated the Native Americans more humanely than their Spanish counterparts. In addition, the French were not interested in expanding their territory, unlike the Spanish. They were simply looking for trade opportunities, and a mutual relationship with the Native Americans was advantageous. The primary goal of Spain
They were cruel to Native Americans. Based on the document, it states “They(the Spanish)forced the Natives to learn Spanish and took over much of the Natives land to build Mexico City.” The Spanish conquered the Natives and disrespected them. They killed a lot of Native Americans and forced some Native Americans out for people coming from Spain to live in New Spain. According to the document it states” In New Spain Native Americans as well as Africans were enslaved and forced to work to build up the Spanish empire.” The Spanish enslaved Native Americans. The Spanish were cruel to the Native Americans. Therefore, there is big difference between how the Spanish treated Native Americans and how the French treated the Native
While creating and managing their new colonies in North America, the Spanish and the French had both similarities and differences in their motives, governing methods, and the treatment of the native Indians. Both the Spanish and the French intended to create colonies to make money, but the ways in which they carried this plan out had differed. The Spanish were motivated by hoping to find gold and riches in America, but changed their focus to conquest and expansion after they did not find the amount of goods they had hoped for. The French wanted to establish a fur trade with the Indians. The two countries differ in way in which they governed their newly formed colonies. Spain had set up a "divide to rule" method of government for their
Similarly, the Americans believed that the Native were stuck in the past and it would be the “best” for them to adopt the modern way of life. Secondly, Neither the Spanish and the Americans were opposed to violence. For example, the Spanish looted, slaughtered, and destroyed the culture of the Native people. The Spanish were supposed to treat the Natives like equals but they felt as if they were justified by “God”. Likewise, the Americans wanted the land the Native Americans called home and when the Natives refused they would more than often get violent, they would force them out by threatening the people or by killing other, the ones that surrendered or survive were sent to reservations. Another, thing that Spain and America had in common was that they both helped in the Genocide of the North American Natives. Neither received as much a slapped on the wrist. In fact, Columbus was seen as
While the Spanish were settling in the Southwest region there was also English colonies rising throughout New England. They were able to spread customs, beliefs, trade goods, and grow economically as a colony. Colonization also brought new discoveries of goods, animals, diseases, etc. to both the Spanish and English. During the 17th century, although both the Spanish and English were in the process of build their colonies they had differences within their politics, religion, and economic developments.
The Spanish Settlements and the English colonies were different in many ways. They were different in politics, religion, and economic development.
Certain aspects of how the French approached the Natives upon arrival to The New World seemed to produce superior conditions for the French colonizers. For example, the French seemed to find a “middle ground” with the Natives, so to speak. Rather than the English had done prior, in which they seemed to shove religion down the throats of the Native Americans, the French seemed to ease the transition with offerings such as giving Natives improved prices on goods upon allowing Jesuits to live among the tribes. Even if members of the tribes refused, the French seemed to have greater interest in becoming allies rather than persecuting the Native Americans. With this mutual respect, trading between both parties seemed to flow smoother. Tribes, such
In this essay, I will compare and contrast how Spain, France, England, and America viewed and interacted with Native peoples differently as they colonized North America. It is reported that roughly three hundred and fifty thousand Native Americans called the area known today as Florida home, when Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon landed his fleet of ships on the coast in the early 1500’s. As we have discussed and learned when the Native people were colonized by outsiders it was not a great day. The Natives of Florida were not immune; war, slavery, disease, and extremely low child birth rates took a devastating toll on the Florida tribes. A charter penned by Ponce de Leon, known as the encomienda, granted Spain the ability to enslave the Natives of Florida. Forcing them to work in the crop fields and essentially making them the major labor force; constructing and designing the buildings occupied by the Spanish. The oppression did not end there. Around the middle of the 16th century the Native people were declared to be free, but only on paper. The Spanish royals felt that the Natives needed to educated in the ways of Catholicism, and those that did not want to conform could be punished up to and including death.
Great observation, the relationship between the French and Native American of the early colonization were very successful. Therefore, both sides needed each other in order to exchange their goods in order for survival. At first, the Native Americans were receptive to the French building their colonies because they viewed the French as partners and they would protect them against other Native Americans. As we learned in the text, “that the support to the Huron tribes in their efforts against the confederated tribes of the Mohawks and Iroquois (Reich, 2011, p. 37). However, the French tried to impose their culture onto the Native Americans by trying to convert them to Christianity. In fact, the Indians were not too keen on this idea and as
Spain, for example, began their conquest in a seemingly normal and peaceful way as Columbus, a missionary, described the Indians, the island, Christianity, and gold. He wanted the Indians to convert to Christianity initially, but later digressed from it to accomplish his most important mission: obtaining gold, which he could do quickly by enslaving the Indians.
The fifteenth to seventeenth century is known as the “Age of Exploration”. Europe began to colonize the countries they had “discovered”. A major part of the world that they colonized was Latin America. Spain was the first to colonize, and the United States started to take interest in Latin America towards the 19th century. Europe and The United States both took interest in Latin America, but for different reasons.
The European Nations short after the discovery of the New World sought out to colonize it for befits of there own nations. The three European Nations most involved in the colonization of the New World was Spain, France and England but each for there own unique reasons. The Spanish, the French and the English desire for wealth, religious expansion, and political advantages motivated them to attempt to colonize the New World. Although they were all able to set foot on the New World some where able to colonize enabling them to befit there own Nation from it. The most successful in using the New World to the greatest advantage of its Nation was Spain.
Lastly, each colony had separate and different relations with the Native Americans. Each of these three colonies had very different settlement patterns, and geographies. First most of all the English colonies were created by the royal people of the colony, and were settled in Quebec, Montreal, and Louisiana. Some of the very first trading’s began were in Virginia and Massachusetts, but then they all began to spread. On the other hand, in France the first colonies that they began to trade with was in Newfoundland, but then continued with places like parts of Canada, and the Mississippi River.
The European countries experienced the unprecedented territorial expansion during late fifteenth and the sixteenth centuries. Spain was one leading country that had expanded its power over Latin America. Just as Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Spain supported Christopher Columbus for the sake of God and Spain, the first conquistadors shared in some measure the sense that they had both a territorial and a religious mission to accomplish.
The settlements of the four great countries were different in the size, lifestyles, financial ventures, growth and regions. The sizes of the colonies and settlements differed, some allowing more growth, and a larger population, than others. England was able to have one of the largest North American colonies, with around 100,000 colonists in the early 1700’s. France had the second largest landwise, being second to the Spanish, who settled most of, what is now, the southwestern region of the US and Florida. The Dutch had the smallest region, only colonizing the land around the Hudson River. They all lived lifestyles similar to their home country, with the rural necessities of the colonies, mixed in. While they all farmed as a lifestyle, to an
I agree with the stamen. According to US a narrative History, French colonist saw natives as equal, respecting their way of live, and even blending some colonist with them in order to learn their languages and customs. This friendly approach make easier for the French to establish their religious mission among Indian towns. Later they pay better rates for their furs to Indians converted to Christianity. This alliances benefit them both, even natives helped French colonist to content Spanish an English territorial expansion. French colonist approach to native people benefit them with guidance trough the territory, a valuable asset for commerce and military strategies.