Throughout history, conquering and enslaving has been an essential tactic to empire building, free labor, and economic stabilization. When Europe began exploring the new world their methods of conquest and human trafficking went through a shift as well. When the English and the Spanish began colonizing the Americas, domination of the native people, and how they utilized their labor weren’t too different other than how the Spanish and English treated the enslaved natives and their objectives. Both treated the natives poorly. However, the Spanish treated them with much more brutality to keep the slaves in check. The English colonizers weren’t only colonizing in the name of the crown, but they also sought out religious freedoms and transported many new agricultural goods to the old world. While the Spanish were more focused on quickly extracting the resources they discovered, the English mostly forced the natives off their lands and built long-lasting communities focused on agriculture and industry.
The Spanish arrived in their colony, South America, earlier than the English. The Spanish led by Hernan Cortes arrived in modern-day Mexico in 1519, while the English arrived in North America in 1607. Christopher Newport led the English. The difference in the timelines in the Spanish and the English proved to dictate the shape of their colonial societies in very distinct ways. The English timing was important because it helped them to learn lessons from the Spanish experience in South America 1 . However, it is worth noting that the Spanish were able to take over unlimited land in the new world. The English had a limited territory to occupy later as they were forced to settle in North America.
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While the crown dictated the Spanish colonies, the English colonies took a more independent approach. The Reconquista in Spain served to foster a mentality of radical Catholicism and religious fervor within the Spanish society 2 . As a result, feverous ideals were inculcated into the Spaniards. The Spanish attempted to convert large populations found within its colonies to save the indigenous people from apparent damnation. This was also in line with an imperial strategy aimed at exploiting indigenous labor. On the contrary, the English used a different approach. By using its colonization of the British Isles as a step off point, the English resolved to colonize in a more different style as opposed to that of the Spaniards. The English planted new settlers in North America adopted a more religiously tolerant approach in dealing with the natives. The Protestant Reformation had swept through Europe, hence informing the religious ideas of the English. Consequently, the English facilitated the creation of a society characterized by a rich diversity and religious tolerance. This approach was more successful in the end.
The Spanish colonies were funded by the crown while private companies financed the English colonies. The Spanish exploration, as well as colonization, was primarily funded by the state. The crown facilitated the exploration and colonization of the new world with the primary objective of gaining wealth. It, therefore, created an administrative framework meant to ensure that its officials were compliant and its overseas subjects were obedient. This led to the creation of bureaucracies in lines with the crown’s priority to the exploitation of wealth. In contrast, the private companies were the primary architects of English colonization. Private companies were responsible for funding English colonization. The revenue from North America went to the investors and stockholders of the private companies. Charters were also granted to individuals fleeing religious persecution. Because of the absence of mineral deposits in the region discouraged the British crown from making the imperial strong holding of the English colonies.
Religion and church played a significant role in Spanish colonies unlike in English colonies. Mass catholicization of the natives was used to justify Spanish colonization efforts 3 . The Spanish managed to violently and forcefully Catholicize large sections of indigenous populations. This demonstrates the critical role that the Church and religion played in Spanish colonies. The Church significantly exploited the indigenous populations in Spanish colonies under the pretext of inequality. Although the crown mistreated the indigenous people, the Church served to justify such actions. On the contrary, religion and Church had a limited role in English colonies. The English colonization borrowed a lot from Protestant Reformation. As such, the English promoted a fair degree of religious toleration 4 . For instance, different religious groups such as Puritans, Catholics, Protestants, and Quakers coexisted in the English colonies. Besides, their colonization approach adopted a more lenient policy towards the natives.
In conclusion, it is clear that the Spanish colonies differed from the English colonies by the motives behind colonization efforts. While the Spanish wanted to obtain wealth in the form of mineral resources from their colonies, the English wanted to establish permanent communities focused on agriculture and industry. It is clear that the crown and the Church played a central role in the Spanish colonies. However, it is the private companies that facilitated the English colonization efforts.
Bibliography
Appelbaum, Robert, and John Wood Sweet, eds. Envisioning an English Empire: Jamestown and the Making of the North Atlantic World . University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012.
Lange, Matthew, James Mahoney, and Matthias Vom Hau. "Colonialism and development: A comparative analysis of Spanish and British colonies." American Journal of Sociology 111, no. 5 (2006): 1412-1462.
McCusker, John J., and Russell R. Menard. The Economy of British America, 1607-1789 . UNC Press Books, 2014.
RodrguezAlegra, Enrique, Solange Alberro, James Amelang, Berta AresQueija, Nan Rothschild, Eric van Young, and Enrique RodrguezAlegra. "Eating like an Indian: negotiating social relations in the Spanish colonies." Current Anthropology 46, no. 4 (2005): 551-573.
1 McCusker, John J., and Russell R. Menard. The Economy of British America, 1607-1789 . UNC Press Books, 2014.
2 RodrguezAlegra, Enrique, Solange Alberro, JamesS Amelang, Berta AresQueija, Nan Rothschild, Eric van Young, and Enrique RodrguezAlegra. "Eating like an Indian: negotiating social relations in the Spanish colonies." Current Anthropology 46, no. 4 (2005): 551-573.
3 Lange, Matthew, James Mahoney, and Matthias Vom Hau. "Colonialism and development: A comparative analysis of Spanish and British colonies." American Journal of Sociology 111, no. 5 (2006): 1412-1462.
4 Appelbaum, Robert, and John Wood Sweet, eds. Envisioning an English Empire: Jamestown and the Making of the North Atlantic World . University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012.
