In the 1400’s European countries had been thrusted into overseas expansion in the fever for land and gold. All throughout Europe, monarchies had sent explorers all over the world to conquer land for their country. Each country had conquered and colonized in various styles, but each had a specific goal that they wanted to achieve. During the European colonization of the Americas or the New World, both the Spanish and the French spread the idea of Catholicism throughout the Americas, however the Spanish believed in treating the Native Americans in a harsher way by enslaving them for labor whereas the French established trade relationships. The Spanish and the French both had different ideas of how to treat the Native Americans that resided in …show more content…
The similarity between the Spanish and the French was that they both had colonized for religious reasons. Both the Spanish and the French had used the excuse of needing to spread Catholicism within the Americas. The Spanish first used the excuse of “God, Glory, and Gold” to conquer the New World. Conquistadores like Hernán Cortés and Ponce de León had been a part of this motto and conquered for God, for the land and fame, and for all else the gold. Also when the Spanish had arrived in California, they had enslaved Native Americans to build missions. These missions would be used to place where the Native Americans would be enslaved and converted to Catholicism. In the missions, Native Americans would be again mistreated, abused, enslaved, and infected while they resided in the missions. As the French population was decreasing in Americas, the Ordonnance of 1627 was created for the Native Americans. The Ordonnance was that if an Native American decided to convert to Catholicism, he or she would be considered as a natural frenchman. This allowed religion to spread throughout and increase the French population in the
The Europeans came to the Americas with an imperialistic attitude. They wanted to take over the land and they thought their goods and beliefs were better than those of the Natives. Document 7 shows that the Mother Country sent over many goods of their own for trade from the colonies. The goods from the Mother Country overpowered and took the place of the Native’s goods. Document 3 provides an example of how important the crops and other goods from the Americas were to the Europeans. By taking away many of the Native’s goods and replacing them with their own, the European’s changed life over in the America’s. Also, the Native’s had already been in the Americas for many years before the arrival of the Europeans. They had established a religion, language, and way of life. The Europeans thought they were better than the Native’s. Their main goal was to come to the New World and spread Christianity, and they were determined to do so. Document 1 explains that from the minute they arrived to the Americas, the Europeans were instilling their religion into the Native people through friendship and gifts. Not to mention, Document 6 states, “missions were built to help spread Christianity.” It also says, “missions and settlements helped spread European languages.” By looking at Latin America today we can see how much the Spanish and Portuguese has helped mold what it is
Europeans during the 16th Century had made unique technological and intellectual advancements, they expanded their knowledge and continued to spread their dominance across the world. These advancements perpetuated the idea that their race was superior to other races and that they had the right to hold other groups of people accountable for what they saw as transgressions. Europeans felt the need to control and make sure that all groups of people were following their moral state of conducts. In History of A Voyage to the Land Of Brazil, Jean De Lery introduces the main motivation of the Europeans journey to the Americas by emphasizing that it was influenced by Christian values ( Lery 3). This shows how the concept of Christianity is important
The Spanish began their movement to Southwest America in the late sixteenth century. From that point on, their influence both on the Native Americans and the environment was extraordinaire. The goal of the Spaniards with regards to the Native Americans was to transform them “into tax-paying Christians.” This is in contrast to the idea that their goal was to eradicate the Indians form the Americas. Consequently, the Spaniards took many Indians so that they may plant their religion in the Natives and to use them as cheap labor. This led many Indians to learn the customs and language of the Spaniards so they could to be able to thrive in the Spanish culture. Thus, some Natives acquired Spanish, which was the main source of their Hispanicization; this was the notion of Indians becoming encompassed by the Spanish society. Furthermore, Indians gradually learned skills, obtained land, and sometimes found Hispanic spouses, thus furthering their Hispanicization. They now began to live in a Spanish manner and blend into the bottom of the Spanish societal ladder. This “acculturation” of the Native Americans was in contrast to the models of early English colonization. Spanish goals and plans sought to involve the Indians so that they may live in their society even if at the lower end of it’s ladder. English colonies viewed the Natives as savages and looked to them for slave labor or to rape their women. They did not plan to take the Indians into their society as the Spaniards did so throughout this era.
The Spanish and English cultures were scarcely similar and notably different because of the interaction with indigenous people and the timing in which the interactions occurred. The Spanish and English were very different in how they interacted with the indigenous people. The Spanish main reason for coming to North America was to spread Catholicism. In the Catholic church if two people were both Catholic then the two people would receive the sacrament of marriage. After marriage the two would create a Catholic of their own. This had created 5 new races of people. The races of humanity was then looked at as social classes. The highest social class was a full white European, then a mestizos, which was a someone who was European and an Indian, followed by Indians, African slaves, and lastly a Zambos,
Although there are some similarities between the two nations, England and Spain are easily the most opposite when their colonists are compared to each other. First, the similarities between the two are in their treatment of the Native Americans. Depending on the Spanish conquistador or expedition leader, the Natives may have been treated fairly or poorly. In the same way, British colonial governors sometimes had good relationships with the Natives (William Penn and Roger Williams), while others helped provoke wars with the tribes (James Moore). The contrast between Spanish and English colonists is in their spirit and reason for colonization. The Spaniards were seeking riches and were usually loyal to the Crown, starting in the 16th century
During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church was the dominant force in Western civilization. As the Dark Ages came to a close, the monarchies of Europe began to consolidate power; providing an alternative power base. With the Protestant Reformation came another blow to the influence of the Church. Spain, the forerunner in the Age of Discovery, was a fervently Catholic country. During the 16th century, the monarchy combined the forces of "cross and crown" in its imperial policy; much to the dismay and ultimate destruction of the indigenous peoples of the New World. Through an examination of Aztec polytheism and the Catholicism of the conquistadors, comes the central role of religion in the successful conquest of New Spain.
It is hard to believe that even the Spaniards imagined that one journey in 1492 will change theirs and world’s history so dramatically. The moment that Spanish foot stepped on American soil started years of prosperity and glory for the Spanish empire but at the cost of the destruction of American societies. The encounter with the new world was controversial historical moment that created one united history instead of two world histories. The discovery led many Spaniards to the new world with the intention of settling the lands but eventually this was the start of devastating of cultures, human populations and traditions. Using power and coercion they spread fear and destruction in the aim of gaining wealth, social precedence and Christian conversion. The justification for the massacres of the indigenous people in the name of religion was no more than greed to gold, fame and status. The actions of those who claimed to be “the most humane and excellent nation” was no more than cruel actions made by savages that had no moral sense.
The history of early colonization and settlement revolves predominately around the British and Spanish colonies. Settlers from these colonies crossed over to America for various reasons and understandings that helped mold America as we know it today. Both the British and the Spanish colonies had historically elaborate, unique cultures. Within both of these colonies, they both had many different advantages and disadvantages that people categorize them for today. Spanish and British settlers both had very different motives and reasons for colonization. The Spanish settlers main purpose was to hunt and collect for gold and silver for immediate profit, as well as to convert natives to the catholic faith and set up assignments and missions. while the Spanish colonies were working on their intention and ideas, the British settlers were thinking about long term opportunities and wanting to settle in the land. Both the Spanish and the British settlements have developed many national trademarks that still remain to this day. Even though both civilizations had many similarities, The British and Spanish colonies did not settle in the same manner because of different beliefs, goals, and lifestyle.
The Spaniards arrived at the Americas prior to the English. The Spanish mainly wanted to explore in the first place because after the Black Death, the population increased, and thus, so did the frequency of commerce. There was a sudden new interest in new products and the new strong monarchs who sponsored the journeys wanted to be more affluent. Therefore, explorers such as Christopher Columbus attempted to go west to target Asia. However, he ended up on Cuba and called the natives Indians. The Spanish soon started to consider the Americas less of a blockage and could now see it as a source of resources. In 1518, Cortes arrived into Mexico with his group of conquistadors, or conquerors, which is a proper name because the men after gold exterminated native areas using their military skills, brutality and greed to turn the Southern America into a vast Spanish empire. The smallpox the Spanish unknowingly carried also helped wipe many people out. When they saw the religious ceremonies of the Aztecs that produced many skulls, they thought of these people as savages and not entirely human. This of coarse was quite hypocritical because the Spanish have killed before during the Inquisition for their faith. It was this contempt that made them think it was all right to slaughter the natives. Spanish colonies were established when conquistadors had gotten a license to finance the expedition from the crown to fixture encomiendas. These encomiendas were basically Indian villages that became a source of labor. The Spanish dreamed of becoming wealthier from South America, but they also wanted a profitable agricultural economy and to spread their Catholic religion (the Pueblo Indians converted to Christianity), which became very important in the 1540s.
In the document “Acts of Possession”, the Spanish, French, and English profess their reasoning and methods to the uptake of Native American lands. Each had similar ideologies on why they believed they could take the land, and that was by the use of religion. It was prevalent in the document that religion was the main motivation for their justification, yet, the Spanish, French, and English each had a slightly different interpretation on why they were capable to take the Natives land. Whether it was threats, teaching, or a compromise, each European power had their version of religion to help them take over the land.
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.
The European exploration and colonization resulted in commercial expansion of trade in agricultural products between Europe and America. In some time, colonization resulted in religious tolerance and representative government that have for several years encouraged similar developments in other countries. In addition, early European exploration led to redistribution of human populations as magnitude of people from Europe and Africa moved to America. Before the colonization and exploration period, the Native Americans had established a number of forms of social organization.
From 711-1492, Christian Spaniards lived under Moorish rule until eventually, the Christian Kingdoms took over during the Reconquista. The conflicts between the Muslims and Christians created a militaristic culture in Spain that surpassed that of any other European nation. Furthermore, being trained militarily was often exclusively attributed to the nobility however, in Spain, “many young men knew these skills and used them to their advantage.” Without a doubt, recently reconquering their homeland motivated the Spanish to a basis for expansion and conquest that most other European societies were lacking. In addition, the voyages of Christopher Columbus led to discovering the New World which undoubtedly contributed to added interest in conquest. Eventually, each conquest further raised Spanish hopes for fame and
Starting in 1492 with Columbus and continuing for 350 years, Spain settled and conquered almost all of South America, the American Southwest, and the Caribbean. The Spanish empire grew to be the largest European empire since ancient Rome, and it used the wealth that it obtained from the Americas to support nearly endless warfare in Europe, which protected the Americas with a large navy and a very powerful army and brought Catholicism to the New World. At this time, Spain saw the New World as unruly and uncivilized because most of the people there were pagan. The Spanish, being strictly Catholic, believed they had the right to conquer and colonize the New World to convert the Natives. They went on with the belief that saving souls was worth
The Euro-Americans were characteristically of Christian or Catholic descent, adhering to the morals and code of conduct outlined by this extremely structured and at times political religion. The indigenous peoples on the other hand practiced a more free form of religion, concentrating on stewardship, spirituality and various rituals. Andrew Resendez’s “A Land So Strange” provides many examples of how religion played a role in the encounters between the two groups; the Spanish and Indigenous peoples. Resendez wrote about the Euro-Americans; “Although motivated by material considerations and at a times engaged in distinctly unchristian activities such as killing Indians, these pioneers were nonetheless persuaded that their exploits served to further God’s aims.” This warped perception of carrying out god’s will through colonial efforts only increased the tension between the two cultures, and resulted in retribution. Another example of using religion for personal gain was Narvaez from A Land So Strange. He sought after any excuse to get money to go on his second expedition and urged the emperor that faith would play a major role. “In another petition, almost a threat, Narvaez urged the emperor to avoid delays, for it would ‘weigh greatly on your royal conscience if it