Difference between the Spanish Settlement of the Southwest and the English Colonies of New England in the 17th Century

English colonies in the middle of the 17th century were essentially white, English Protestants. A little more than 100 years later, these English colonies started to become more diverse. Different races, ethnic groups, and religious groups started to move into North American. During the time of 1650 to 1755, new forces such as religion, ethnicity and race affected Great Britain's North American colonies.

In a time when the native population was slowly decreasing and the number of colonies was rising, the New England and the Spanish colonies were born. At that time, everything was constantly changing. Slavery was used in some colonies- the encomienda system was used in others, the economy of the two groups of colonies were completely different, and even what the colonists believed religiously was completely different based on location and biases. Between the New England colonies and the Spanish, there were many significant differences and similarities. In this context, between the years of 1492 and 1700, the New England colonies were extremely similar and different to the Spanish colonies in three aspects- the role of religion of their everyday life, the treatment of the indigenous people, and the amount of control the European government had on the colonies.

In a time when numerous countries were beginning to explore the new and exciting land of North America during the Age of Exploration, and groups of people from England and Spain were fleeing their home countries either for religious freedom or wealth, vast and civilized colonies began to form all throughout the New World. It is in this context that the colonies founded by the English and the Spanish began to develop and grow. There was a significant difference between the Spanish and New England colonies between 1492 and 1700 in terms of the treatment of indigenous people, and there were some immense similarities between the two colonies in terms of the role of religion in their society and the

Beginning with the southern Chesapeake colonies, the regions of North America were classified by their founding nation and structure. Several sects from all over Europe made North America their home throughout the 17th century. After facing prosecution in England, the Puritans and Separatists traveled to the New World’s northeast aiming to establish religiously tolerant settlements, whereas the Spanish Conquistadors explored the “West Indies” with hopes to exploit the Southwest’s piñata of expensive metals and non-Christian natives. Both groups shared the goal of a new world; however, New Englanders and the Spanish Conquistadores’ differed fundamentally in their initial motivation to explore the foreign paradise. Each group’s initial motivation

In a time when the Native Americans were building complex structures and had control of all of the Americas, the Spanish arrived, and took control from the natives conquering the Americas and leaving behind their influence until 1680. Also in a time when new colonists are arriving from England to America to form settlements, and settlers begin to reconsider their traditions. It is in this context that the Spanish and New England colonists are compared and contrasted. The Spanish and New England colonies from 1492 to 1700 were significantly similar in terms of treatment of indigenous people and considerably different in control of religion and control of European government.

Prior to 1763, both Spanish and British colonization efforts expanded into various regions of North America. In less than a century, from 1625 to 1700, the movements of peoples and goods from Europe to North America transformed the continent. Native Americans either resisted or accommodated the newcomers depending on the region of the colony. Though the English colonies were by far the most populous, within the English colonies, four distinct regions emerged. While planters or merchants grew in power in each English colony, Spanish colonists, with far fewer colonists, depended more on friendly relations with Native Americans to secure their

The Spanish began exploring America with “gold, glory and God” large in their minds. Cortes and the

The Pequot War was the first brutal war on the North American continent, and the first war fought between the Native Americans and the English settlers. The whole war began, because the Englishmen, like always, became greedy and wanted more land and more profitable trade. The homeland of the Pequot tribe, was modern day Connecticut. The tribe had an estimated population of 2,200 members, and they based their everyday lives off of maize, hunting, and even fishing (Pequot, 2012). For a period of time, the English settlers and the Native American tribe lived peacefully with a fair-trading system and they helped each other, but that did not last long. One reason for the Englishmen coming to the North American continent, was to spread the faith of Christianity. Believing that God had given the English settlers the right to settle in the new-found land, they saw great opportunities to convert the “savages” to their Christian ways (Pequot, 2012). The English settlers began invading the Pequot’s territory, and almost completely pushed them off of their land. “There were disputes over property, livestock damaging Indian crops, hunting, the selling of alcohol to Indians, and dishonest traders” (1636- The Pequot War, n.d.). Not only did the Pequot’s have issues with the English settlers, they were always on bad terms with the Narragansett tribe as well. The tribe separated into two parts, the “pro-English and pro-Dutch” (Colonialwarsct.org). This event made the Indians very weak,

The Spanish, French, and English all established major settlements in North America in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In each colony, settlement revolved around different types of trade: plantations and mining in New Spain, the fur trade in New France, and tobacco and the family farm in British North America. There were many similarities among these countries’ approaches to settling, but also enormous differences.

The British relied on the Algonquians to exchange goods for food, and to teach them how to survive on the strange land. The Spaniards took advantage of the Pueblos, forcing them to work on farms and to follow their religion. In the end, both relationships with the Native Americans fell apart. Pueblo Indians became tired of being treated so poorly, and launched attacks on the Spaniards. In contrast, British colonists initiated the aggression towards the Algonquians after the Algonquians withdrew all contact. As you can see, the British had a positive and equal relationship with the natives for the most part. While the Spaniards always had a negative and controlling relationship with the natives. Both the Spanish and the British could not have survived without the Native

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.

In the 17th century England and Spain were both in a race to settle the New World. After Christopher Columbus had reached this New World Spain almost immediately sent people over to explore and colonize. After the Treaty of Tordesillas secured their land, Spain’s empire quickly expanded across The Americas. England had a bit of a late start when it came to colonization. Even though their first few attempts such as Jamestown, and Roanoke were not very successful England kept at it. Eventually, England and Spain became the two most powerful nations in the Americas. Even though both nations had the same goal, their political, religious, and economic development were very different.

During the 15th through 17th centuries, advancements in technology and the desire for new resources spurred the exploration of the New World for both Spain and England. Spain's interest in exploration soon surpassed the rest of the countries in the Old World and the nation began to claim the majority of territory in Central and South America. Spain sent conquistadores to assert their dominance in the New World through violent conquest which resulted in difficult relations with native populations. Although the English did not settle in North America until the early 17th century, well past the period of the Spanish conquest, their methods of colonization were more successful in the long term. The English were able to find economic success

Spanish exploration and settlement of the western hemisphere lasted from 1492 until 1898, from Christopher Columbus’s first voyage to the loss of its last colonies in the Spanish-American war. As with all major seafaring European nations, they were in pursuit of the fabled Northwest Passage, a direct route to Asia. This was how Christopher Columbus stumbled upon the Americas, on his quest for this route. The Spanish were after more though, specifically gold and spread of the Christian faith. With this page we will discuss multiple historical figures, places, and ideas that emphasized what the Spanish found most important at the time, God and gold.

During the early stages of North America, the Spanish settlements in the Southwest and the English colonies contrasted from each other as a result of different resources, religion, and various other factors. In the 17th century, North America was just beginning colonization. In 1588, the Spanish attacked the English but were defeated because the English used different tactics that were swifter. Both the Spanish settlers and English were devoted to their religions. While the English were trying to decide what path of religion to follow, the Spanish had already choses Christianity as their dominant religion. Some Spanish missionaries were founded in California and Texas with the goal to Christianize the natives. The English