The Control of England in North America and Demise of the Spanish Power in the Atlantic The year 1942 marked a division in the contemporary world history. There were a number of developments that would bring enormous effects for the Old and the New World Wars. The discovery of these developments changed the diets of both the western and eastern regions, assisted in initiating the Atlantic slave trade, and spread illnesses that had a destructive effect on populations in India, and resulted in the creation of European colonies across the Western region (Cohen and Rosenzwei 124). This paper is focused on establishing the main events that made England to gain control over the Atlantic and establishing settlements in North America. The paper also explores the major events that led to the demise of Spanish power in the Atlantic. This will be done through looking at a number of factors including commerce, the rise of competing nations that presented an encouragement for the exploration and colonization of the new lands by the Europeans, rapid population growth, and new learning. In addition, it explores and explains reasons as to why Spain and Portugal were the first to be engaged in the exploration of the overseas, as well as, why France and England were slow in challenging the supremacy of Spain in the Americas. The primary sources to be used include Jamestown: 1607, The First Months, Jamestown: 1609-10, Starving Time by, George Percy, Cotton Mather’s The Ecclesiastical History of New-England, and Journey to Pennsylvania in the year 1750 by Gottlieb Mittelberger. European Expansion In the mid and late of the 15th Century, Europe attained control over the globe’s wind patterns and ocean currents and started creating a European-based... ... middle of paper ... ...ates the main events that made England to gain control over the Atlantic and establishing settlements in North America. It also investigates the major events that led to the demise of Spanish power in the Atlantic part of which relates to the control of England. 1942 marked a division in the modern world history. There were a number of developments that would bring enormous effects for the Old and the New World Wars. The discovery of these developments changed the diets of both the western and eastern regions. These events were not without challenges as there was competition among various nations and other challenges such as diseases, hunger, and thirst. It is important to note that the Treaty of Paris in 1763 played a significant role in ending the wars between the French and Indians. Under this treaty, Britain obtained control of lands of 13 colonies in the west.
Marcus Gravey stated that, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” With that being stated, are the people of the United States, Canada, and Mexico trees without roots? At a young age students learn that Christopher Columbus “sailed the ocean blue in 1492”, a simple song used to assist children remember that America was discovered in 1492. In addition, Thackeray and Findling describe how Columbus’s discovery presented an unimaginable amount of opportunity for Europeans, and therefore, Spanish, French, and later British explores and settlers began to flock to this new world.
In 1745, the French, Spanish and British Empires began competing over international trade networks and natural resources. Subsequently, each empire began maneuvers to maintain and expand possession of their territory in North America. In 1750, England and France each concluded that “Ohio country” the land west of the Appalachians was vital to their interests. (Davidson p.102) This battle of over Ohio country led the British and the French into the Seven Years’ War.
“The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” Of the three major colonizers who vied for control of North America from the 15th to 17th centuries, it was the early-bird Spanish who got the worm, but after all was said and done, it was England who got the more desirable cheese. After 1763, the English had control of all land east of the Mississippi river and virtually all of present-day Canada. The English were able to gain the upper hand in the conflict for control of North America not only because of military victories, but also because of good timing.
Through examining the series of events that occurred in Spain, England, and the Holy Roman Empire, there is a better understanding of the colonization of the New World. Spain began the exploration of the world that was unknown to them and took advantage of it. England followed in a similar path of being a colonial power but through pressure on their society. Finally, the immigrants of the Holy Roman Empire sought for a better life a left to colonize the New World which was more like a new beginning. The examination of the backgrounds of colonization could also bring new light on other important events in history.
Wernham, Richard Bruce. Before the Armada: The growth of English foreign policy 1485–1588. Cape, 1996.
During the late 1600s and the to the mid-1700s, countries fought for land and power in order to have global domination. While several countries fought for the same cause, resolving their differences was nearly impossible, and this often led to more wars and conflicts. One of the many conflicts concerned the domination of North America. While many European powers competed for control of North America, Britain gained the most territory through the four French and Indian wars, King William's War, Queen Anne's War, King George's War, and the French and Indian War. As these wars progressed, Britain achieved the most success and eventually became the most dominant power in North America.
Rafe Blaufarb’s main argument within “The Western Question: The Geopolitics of Latin American Independence” is that of the geopolitical events that took place during 1815 to 1820. The result of the Spanish imperial collapse was significant to the independence of Latin America were impacted by Britain, France, the United States, and individuals; royalsit, privateers, and Bonapartists. International competition between the North Atlantic powers, particularly France and Britain, as well ass the effects of the Napoleonic time period effected Spanish America and Spanish geopolitics (Blaufarb, 743). Britain’s main interests dealt with free commerce between themselves and Latin America, while remaining allies with the Spanish. Their main concern
From 1754 to 1763, the French and Indian War took place. This war altered the political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies. It was the last of four North American wars waged from 1689 to 1763 between the British and the French. In these struggles, each country fought for control of the continent with the assistance of Native American and colonial allies. The French and Indian War occurred to end the land dispute between the British and French. Whoever won, in reality, gained an empire. It was a determined and eventually successful attempt by the British to get a dominant position in North America, the West Indies, and the subcontinent of India. Although Britain had won all this land, political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies were totally annihilated.
Cook, Don. The Long Fuse: How England Lost the American Colonies, 1760-1785. New York: The Atlantic Monthly Press, 1995.
The beginning of 1763 marked one of the major events that would contribute to the end of British colonial relations. On February 3, 1763 the French and Indian War finally ended in British victory, but while the British celebrated the French’s defeat, colonists feared the oncoming reverberations the war would have on them. The main motive behind the war was for possession over the French fur trade territory in North America. To the colonists, the war was being fought by and for Britain not the colonies. The benefits of the victory only pertained to Britain. The after effect of the war for the colonies was the trampling on their need for expansion. During the war, Native Americans had fought with the French because of how well they treated them. Britain was notorious for abusing the Native Americans, therefore once the French were defeated; they began attacking western settlements of colonists. To avoid confrontation, the Proclamation of 1763 was passed by Parliament. The Proclamation established a limit to the greatly needed colonial expansion. Specifically, the Proclamation forbid settlement beyond the Appalachian Mountains. The passing of the Proclamation of 1763 infuriated colonists ...
Beginning in 1942 with Christopher Columbus, the New World was conquered by Spain’s Empire which established much of South America, the United States and the Caribbean. When the Spanish first arrived, their mission was to see what the land had to offer as well as convert the indigenous people. What was not expected for the Spaniards to bring was disease and hardship of the land’s people. Spain began to abuse the land, turn its people into hard labor workers and to gain wealth from all the many riches the New World had to offer. Once the Spanish empire gained control of the New World it became the most powerful and biggest European empire since ancient times. Spain took from the land and used its wealth for their own personal gain. But it was only a matter of time before problems began to take place within the New World.
The History of colonial North America is primarily centered on the struggle of England, France and Spain to gain control of the continent. Settlers crossed the Atlantic for different reasons, and their governments took different approaches to their colonizing efforts. These differences created both advantages and disadvantages that deeply affected the New World’s fate. For instance, France and Spain were governed by autocratic sovereigns whose rule was absolute; their colonists went to America as servants of the Crown. The English colonists, on the other hand enjoyed for more freedom and were able to govern themselves as long as they followed English law and were loyal to the king. In addition, unlike France and Spain, England encouraged
Looking back into history, at around the 1500s to the 1600s, people were very much the same in the sense that many countries were looking to aggrandize their economy and appear the greatest. It was this pride and thinking that motivated many of the superpowers of the world’s past. Two such monarchies in the European continent included England and Spain, which had at the time, the best fleets the world has ever seen. Because both were often striving to be the best, they conflicted with one another. Although England and Spain had their differences, they both had a thirst to see new things and it was this hunger that led them both to discovering different parts of the “New World” and thus, colonizing the Americas.
Ideologies of colonization were different depending on the approach and administrative models that colonizers used. A comprehensive coverage and understanding of world history during the colonial era is paramount; if one wants to develop competence in identifying, which colony used what method of acquisition of territory, what the sole reason for invasion was, whether alliances were made or not, among other things. Nonetheless, of central concern is a comparison of British and Spanish methods of colonization. Significantly, the British were not mainly focused on conquering new lands; rather, they mainly searched for inhabited territories where they planted new settlers (“Differences between British and Spanish Colonization”).
James Muldoon, The Americas in the Spanish World Order: The Justification for Conquest in the Seventeenth Century. US: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1994, p. 39