The British and Spanish started their colonies at different time periods and had different political goals in mind. Britain’s thirteen colonies lasted from 1607-1783 before independence. British colonists traveled to the Americas and found land and wildlife they could take advantage of new jobs. On the other hand, the Spanish colonies reigned from 1492-1825. Their main motivation for colonization was the acquisition of gold and silver. Furthermore, both the British and Spanish empires had a negative effect on the native populations. Colonists from Britain continuously alienated indigenous peoples. They took over their land and decimated large numbers of their …show more content…
The British immigrated to the Americas as family units as they sought personal freedoms. For the Spanish, men traveled to the colonies instead of communities because conditions were more demanding. Soldiers, officials, and laborers looked for opportunities in the Spanish Americas. Furthermore, the social structure in British America differentiated from the social structure in Spanish America. The British was based on class, but the Spanish colonies had a more complicated system. With the denser indigenous populations in the Spanish Americas, interracial marriages were very common. Consequently, a caste system emerged. Peninsulares were at the top of the class system, followed by the creoles, then castas. In addition, the British had a social system based on class and economics. Wealthy landowners came first in this class system, and followed by merchants and farmers. Also, British America consisted of white people, whereas Spanish America was largely