What is the difference between English colonies and spanish settlements?

Answer 1

England

· Most colonies established by royal char­ter. Earliest settlements were in Virginia and Massachusetts but soon spread all along the Atlantic coast, from Maine to Georgia, and into the continent's interior as far as the Mississippi River.

· Colonists were recruited from among middle-class farmers, artisans, and tradesmen. Indentured servants, spe­cialists in certain areas (i.e., sawmill workers, lumbermen), and convicted criminals were also brought over. Immigrants from other countries were welcomed.

· Distance from England and a frugal Parliament allowed colonists to set up local governments and representative assemblies and to tax themselves, as long as they did not take up arms against the Crown.

· Largely non-Catholics. Although some tolerance was practiced in most colonies, the Puritans in Massachusetts established an autocratic and restrictive religious leadership. Pennsylvania man­dated complete tolerance.

· Rapid growth due to liberal immigration policies. By 1627 Virginia had approxi­mately 1,000 settlers. By 1754 total population in the English colonies had grown to 1.5 million; this included large proportions of German and French.

· Originally friendly; early colonists relied on Native Americans for trade and for help with survival. Eventually greed for land led to major conflicts with Indians.

Spanish

· Crown-sponsored conquests gained rich­es for Spain and expanded its empire. Most of the southern and southwestern regions claimed, as well as sections of the California coast. Settlements include St. Augustine, Florida (1565); Santa Fe, New Mexico (1610); and numerous cities in Texas and California.

· Conquistadors, soldiers, and mission­aries were the primary Spanish coloniz­ers; farmers and traders came later.

· Colonies were governed by crown-appointed viceroys or governors. Settlers had to obey the king's laws and could make none of their own.

· Settlers were restricted to Catholics; Protestants were persecuted and driven out.

· Slow growth due to greater emphasis on military conquest, poor relations with Native Americans, and numerous early failures to establish permanent settle­ments. Largest Spanish populations were in Florida, Texas, California, and Mexico.

· Spanish missionaries saw Native Americans as heathens to be converted to Christianity; soldiers viewed them as fit only for killing or subjugation.

Answer 2

A major difference between English and Spanish colonization is that the Spanish mostly sent single men, without wives & families.

The Spanish Conquest resulted in the death of 70% of Native Americans in Central America, 90% in South America, and almost 100% in the Caribbean. Between 1492 and 1609 (the founding of the English colony of Jamestown, Virginia) more than 50% of all Natives were wiped out in what became the US. The Spanish Conquest was per capita the biggest genocide in human history.

Many Spanish men - but certainly not all - mixed with the survivng Native Americans as they colonized their respective countries. This was also a common practice in the US and Canada.

A major difference is the way in which the history of the colonization of the Americas was presented. In the English colonies there was a recognized separation between the Native Americans and Non-Native Immigrant population. This led to the creation of separate countries known as reservations for native peoples.

In Central America the Spanish created what Mexican scholars refer to as the 'Myth of the Mestizo', which stated that all peoples were part Native American and therefore all lands belonged to the people. Although false what this did was to deprive native peoples of their lands because to call yourself 'Indian' was to say you weren't part of the broader country. The loss of language and customs was the result.

Although most (especially in the US) are not aware of this fact this has also had a different social impact. People of Spanish descent often distance themselves from the genocide which their ancestors were responsible for and instead claim native ancestry even though the Spanish Conquest resulted in the deaths of more than 80% of Native Americans throughout the Western Hemisphere. Unfortunately this has led many people of Spanish descent to use the term 'Latino' to instead of 'White' and blame other people of European descent for the destruction of Native Americans.

Ironically, the Spanish were among the principle colonizing powers to use employ the term 'White' to distinguish themselves from other non-White peoples such as Native Americans, Africans, and many European groups such as the Irish who they also enslaved by the thousands.

The Spanish were also responsible for enslaving 94% of all Africans during the slave trade; only 6% went to the US. Slavery went on in Latin American countries for much longer than the US also, well into the late 1800s, and was equally if not more violent and destructive. And unlike some states in the American south which practiced Segregation into the 1960s, many Latin American nations practiced Apartheid until the 1960s.

Answer 3

One of the most significant differences between English colonization and that of the Spanish was the number of lives that it took. Historically, the Spanish conquest is considered one of the worst cases of genocide in the worldâ??s history. Although lives were lost during the English campaign, it did not come close to the number of lives lost during the Spanish colonization. The French had an entirely different view in mind when they explored into foreign land. The French looked for wealth and trade routes to the pacific.