America has been colonized a few times in its history. The two most significant periods are the colonization of Northern America by the English, and the colonization of South America by the Spanish. Both of these periods marked events that are significant to the formation of the heritage of the nations. This essay will describe the similarities and differences that existed during these two times.
The British or English Colonization began in the early 1700's. At this time, the British were colonizing the area slowly through intellectual and political inclinations. Their presence became more profound in the region as the population multiplied (Roper, 2015). The already established colonies became stronger after the English civil war. Colonies that were strengthened included Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine. Other states that were also colonies at the time were Delaware, New York, New Jersey, Virginia and Georgia. The earliest colonies recorded were in Virginia (Montinaro et al., 2015). According to Montinaro et al. (2015) the colonies spread along the Atlantic Ocean cutting through Maine and some of the areas mentioned above. They also captured the in lands as far as Mississippi. In contrast, the Spanish colonists began their conquest earlier on in the late 15th century. They inhabited a different region as their main focus was on South America and Central America. They inhabited colonies that were later renamed as present day Texas, California, Florida and Mexico. The Spanish colonists also had control of the majority of the Caribbean Islands. Their colonial reign continued until towards the middle of the 17th century.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The English colonialists were made up of ordinary people who had no military strength. They included artisans who were crafting and selling their wares, middle class farmers who occupied fertile and idle land, indentured servants a who were sometimes used to enforce the culture of the British and tradesmen who thrived on the needs of all the combined people in the population (Montinaro et al., 2015). Indentured servants continued to live like their English masters even after their terms of service were over. They joined the English colonists in spreading culture such as the practice of large scale farming in Virginia (Roper, 2015). Some of the immigrants from other countries who had entered the country as indentured servants also took up forming when slavery became a more profitable means of farming. This is different from the Spanish who were composed of conquistadors and missionaries. The conquistadors were violent and ruthless soldiers who forced the residents of a region to pledge allegiance to them. The loyalists were those who willingly chose to be baptised into the Christian religion (Montinaro et al., 2015). The missionaries are considered colonists as well because they collaborated with the soldiers in making the regions a zealous Catholic zone. They also chose and presented the names of those who chose not to follow this faith. Many were tortured and executed. The Spanish colonists differed from the English because their reign was more violent in the beginning while the English became violent towards the end.
Both the English and Spanish colonists set up government units to rule the settlers and the pervious population (Roper, 2015). This was the easiest way to enforce their cultural change and superiority. As mentioned earlier, the Spanish chose to exert their authority through forced adherence to the Catholic Church (Montinaro et al., 2015). The missionaries also enforced their methods of medical treatment and banned the traditional methods of farming and treatment. The Spanish established leadership structures under governors or viceroys who were ensured that the settlers in the colonies followed their rules.
The government units worked closely with the leaders in the Catholic Church has to ensure that all enemies were flushed out and punished. In this case, enemies included the members of the Protestant church (Roper, 2015). The English colonialists government was more independent as it allowed for local representation from the colonists. The only rule was that none of these could speak against or rise against the crown (Montinaro et al., 2015). The English government did not have a particular affiliation to any main religion because it's a population was mixed in composition. They included Catholics, Baptists, Jews, Anglicans and Quakers.
The main economic activity that fuelled the English colonists was exploitation of natural resources. The colonists practiced fishing and farming alongside other activities such as trading. The traders were able to exchange goods such as rice crops for Timber for construction (Roper, 2015). The immigration rules were lack and almost non existent in some regions so trade was easy. Thus was made necessary by the growth of the residents of the colonies (Montinaro et al., 2015). By the late 1700's, the population has grown to over 1.5 million people. Trading was necessary in order to meet the needs of all the residents. The Spanish colonists had a much smaller trading sector. The trading was under the control of the Spanish conquistadors who had put in place regulations according to the Spanish board of trade. This discouraged trading and kept it limited to those in authority. The population did not grow significantly as the Spanish ruled with fear. Most people took up every chance they had to escape, rather than live amidst violence.
The English colonialists initially enjoyed cordial and relatively peaceful relations the natives. However, as the population grew, it became clear that the land and other natural resources were becoming strained by the increase. The natives became aggressive as they fought to reclaim their land from the visitors who has colonized them. By now the natives were already conversant with the English ways of life. This is the final difference with the Spanish colonists as their reign began violently and it also ended violently.
References
Montinaro, F., Busby, G. B., Pascali, V. L., Myers, S., Hellenthal, G., " Capelli, C. (2015). Unravelling the hidden ancestry of American admixed populations. Nature communications , 6 , 6596.
Roper, L. H. (2015). The English Empire in America, 1602-1658: Beyond Jamestown . Routledge.
