Preview

Spanish and English Exploration Essay Example

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1217 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Spanish and English Exploration Essay Example
***********
HS 201-005
Paper #1
Sept. 8, 2010

Spanish and English had similar motivations for exploration of the New World, such as gaining land, goods from the natives, and gold. However, their motivations also differ greatly. The Spanish conquistadors also gained slaves from the native people, as well as spreading the word of Christianity. The English settlers came to the New World to get away from the religious oppression in England and to practice religion freely, and to grow tobacco to send back to England. The Spanish gained much more land quickly because, upon landing in places like the Caribbean and Brazil, because of their conquering and enslaving of the natives. The English came to the New World much less prepared, having loads of ships carrying rich, upperclassmen who were not capable of survival in unsettled lands. The New World helped Spain gain most of the power in Europe, starting with expeditions to the Caribbean, and settled in Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Cuba. Along with enslaving the tribes, the Spanish explorers brought disease from Europe, which helped in wiping out many of the Native Americans, making it easier to become dominant over them This also allowed them to use the enslaved natives to help grow crops and mine gold. The Spanish began conquering more of the New World, from northern Mexico to southern Chile. . Hernan Cortes began this with a march into Mexico after being convinced by the governor of Cuba that there was gold to be had belonging to the Aztecs. This also brought silver, textiles, and jewelry also came with the conquests. Many of the explorers were also on the search for land, as many of them were wealthy landowners or landless soldiers with the motivation of a better life with more land. They also used this conquest to spread the religion of Catholicism to the natives, erecting crosses and performing sermons for the natives, hoping to convert them to Catholicism from their sometimes morbid

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    apush DBQ#1

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The English arrived in North America in 1606 looking for raw materials. At the time their biggest competition were the Spanish who conquered Mexico, central America, and parts of south America. The Spanish had the new world like a “ATM machine” because they took vast amounts of gold and silver from the native people. At that time all the countries had a philosophy that the country with the most gold had the most power. For that reason the English when to the northern new world to try to find the same wealth.…

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Being that England was a country that did not fully partake in the competition for Western lands until over a century later, there were many resources at-hand for them to use as guides and as lessons to ensure a successful colonization process in the New World. For instance, maritime technology had been improved and without any of the advancements, European exploration could not have been possible in the first place. In addition to the technology, massive epidemics within North and South America during the Spanish conquest almost wiped out the entire Native American population that had lived there prior to European exploration. Therefore, English settlers had a much more successful relationship with their Native neighbors, making for an easier attempt to colonize in North American…

    • 542 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Spaniards, when they arrived and had heard of the nearby gold, they began to go to extremes to be able to get to and find the gold, even if that meant killing off the natives. Not to mention, they began going to extremes (including killing) to have their empire, the glory, that they wanted so badly to have. “The story of the Spanish warriors…is also a story of remarkable brutality and greed. The conquistadores subjugated and, in some areas (through a combination of warfare and disease), almost exterminate the native populations. In this horrible way, they made possible the creation of a vast Spanish empire in the New World.” (17). The English were motivated to go to the New World in order to find a new life and to have the freedom to practice whichever religion they please. “In addition to these economic motives for colonization, there were also religious ones, rooted in the events of European and English Reformations.” (27). They were also going in hopes of finding gold. “Perhaps most important, colonial commerce would allow England to acquire products from its own new territories for which the nation had previously been dependent on foreign rivals-products such as lumber, naval stares, and, above all, silver and gold.” (27). As for the French, one of the main reasons they went to the Americas was to do missionary work. “French Jesuit missionaries were among the first to penetrate…

    • 979 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Christopher Columbus sailed to earn money and recognition and spread Christianity and by liberating Jerusalem from Muslim rule. When he first stepped in America, he already saw the people as potential slaves and a place to mine gold. Other conquerors that made contact with Aztecs, angered them when the Spaniards raided his palace and stole Aztec’s treasures. Spain sent more people…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the later 14th century to the late 15th century, Europeans had discovered what is now North and South America. The “New World” was discovered by Christopher Columbus when he believed that he could sail around the world and reach India. The Europeans had no knowledge of the “New World”. When Columbus reached the “New World”, he met the peoples of the America’s thinking them to be Indians. Columbus told the monarchy of Europe about the “New World”. Multiple voyages were set sail to claim the Americas. Some time afterwards, Hernan Cortes moved from Cuba to Mexico. He went searching for gold, on his journey he grew alliances with the enemy tribes of the Aztecs. There was a battle between the two. Cortes won. Francisco Pierro went to the New…

    • 215 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Within fifty years of Christopher Columbus discovering the New World, the Spanish empire had gained almost complete control of Central America and the majority of South America. Furthermore, the Spanish controlled large portions of southern Europe, including much of Italy, Austria, and the Netherlands. The success of the Spanish empire began its gradual decline in the seventeenth century. Many factors contributed to the ultimate demise of the Spanish empire, but the main cause of the fall of the empire was Spain’s poor economic decisions. The Spanish government delegitimized their currency, overextended their empire, and created an army that they could not financially maintain all within the seventeenth century. Additionally, they continued to get involved in…

    • 471 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The settlements of the New World was made possible with new technologies for sailing such as maps and compass. Also, the general prosperity made money more available, setting the conditions for new settlements. Spain, under King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, was the first European nation to colonize territories successfully. An example was the colonization of the Canary Islands. That is why Christopher Columbus thought of persuading Queen Isabella to finance his expedition westward to China. His first expedition started in 1492, and in one of his journeys he found the New World. However, Columbus died thinking that he had reached the Orient. Undoubtedly, his discovery set the beginning of Spanish dominion over the New World. What followed was…

    • 193 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This benefits the Spanish, as they would gain land, wealth, and arms if the natives would not convert. This strengthened the Spanish Empire, so if the natives did or did not convert, the Spanish still benefited. Additionally, the explorers who set out to convert the indigenous peoples were highly praised when they returned, and felt that they were closer to God. The conversion to Christianity harmed the natives, however, as they lost a focal point of their culture and lives, and most of their pottery, buildings, and overall creations were centered around their various religions. An additional document that would be needed to support the argument that the Spanish benefitted from the conversion of the New World natives to Christianity would be a document showing how high the explorers were hailed when they returned back to Spain, as it would reveal a secondary or tertiary motivation to leave Spain and convert however many people they could. The conversion of the New World civilizations to Christianity benefited the Spanish by allowing them to gain followers for God and Spain, but harmed the natives because they lost the main aspect of their…

    • 2349 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the early history of the 1600's, North America had been discovered and establishment of the New World had begun. Although Spain and England both focused on the colonization and exploration of the Americas, their ambitions and goals were very different. The most important reasons for English colonization were religious freedom, to seek refuge, and new economic opportunities. The Spanish, on the other hand, exploited the New World in search of gold and silver, greed navigated their search. Although both the English and the Spanish experienced mild success, the English tactics for daily survival were much more organized and peaceful.…

    • 1248 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Spaniards came to the new world in search of more land to expand the country. The voyage was under the command of Christopher Columbus. Originally Columbus had wanted to sail to Asia and conquer more land with financial support from Isabella and Ferdinand, Spanish royalty. Upon arrival on the coast of the "New World" Columbus made contact with the Native Americans. When those back in Spain wanted updates, Columbus and his men put their "encounters" with the Natives as delicately as possible. These encounters were really what Columbus and the other men did to the Natives. When the Natives refused to work for the Spaniards, the natives were brutally attacked. Some small wars broke out between the Spaniards and Natives causing more casualties to the Natives than the Spaniards. When the news of these casualties finally reached Spain, the pope decided to take control of the situation, sending over missionaries and teacher to compensate for the early harsh treatment to the Natives.…

    • 583 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Spanish, French, and English had multiple motives for exploring and settling in America. All three nations started their explorations with the desire to find a direct route to the Indies, for trade with the Indies would bring wealth. Explorers and settlers from the three countries also shared the motives of bringing the nation’s religion to the inhabitants overseas, to claim land for their countries and monarchs, and the desire to increase in wealth from precious metals, trade, or exported goods from the New World. Yet the three powers had different motives as well. The French king, François I, had a rivalry with the Spanish king, Carlos I, and wanted to compete with Spain to find a route to the true Indies and grow in power and wealth. The new land gave the English government an outlet for the soldiers that had recently returned from the Spanish wars. A group of English settlers, the Puritans, settled in America for religious freedom.…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Spanish also wanted to spread Christianity to the native people of America. The French were interested in exploring and colonizing America for economic reasons. They wanted to establish a fur trade with the native people of America. The French also…

    • 254 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Early Colonization Goals

    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Spanish sought to get quick through mining gold and silver, France pursued economic wealth through fur trade with Native Americans, and the English attained wealth through the production of tobacco. In addition to gaining economic wealth, Spain and France also wanted to convert the Native Americans to Catholicism. However, the English had no interest in spreading religion or converting Native Americans. In terms of relationships with the local people, The French colonies were the only ones to form a friendly and helpful relationship with the Native Americans. The Spanish choose to dominate them and force them to work for them in order to achieve greater wealth. The English simply killed them or forced them off of their land so they did not inhibit their…

    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    One difference between the British and Spanish motives for colonizing was that the Spanish based part of their time converting people to Catholic. The British were not concerned with religion, but more concerned with expanding their empire and making a profit. So by now, the British had colonized most of the Atlantic coast from Maryland down to Georgia.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    My point of view is Spanish colonization of the “New World” is different with English colonization. For example, in terms of economic policy, the English colony has a different economic component, not only of the capitalist system, but also the pre-capitalist feudal tenancy system and slavery. The capitalist economy is mainly concentrated in the northern colonies. While the South is still in the handicraft workshop stage of capitalism, represents the direction of economic development. The Middle Colonies is prevalent feudal tenancy system. Spain in the colony implements the cruel exploitation. Spanish colonists…

    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays