Title The Spanish and the British both endured many obstacles and overcame multiple hurdles while settling in the Americas; however, the reasons for settling in the Americas differed vastly between the Spanish and the British. While settling in a new, unknown country could not have been easy, the approach taken when establishing a new settlement plays an imperative role in the future of the settlement. Motivation for immigration, course of settlement establishment, nature of relationships formed with Native people, and determination to continue life in the new land—these are just a few of the factors that play a significant role in the similarities and differences of the journey to settlement and civilization experienced by the Spanish and
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While the Europeans came to and explored the Americas purposely, the Spanish’s conquest to the Americas was far from intentional. In 1492, Queen Isabella decided she would “take a chance” (Conlin, 12) on Christopher Columbus’s proposal to attempt to the reach the Indies by sailing West. Initially, the Spanish did not view the discovery of the Americas in a positive way; however, as time passed the Spanish began to “see the Americas as a possible source of income and wealth as opposed to an obstacle in the way of getting to Asia” (Boyd, Class Notes). Conquistadors led the exploration of the Americas, and the reputation that these men possessed was anything but friendly and peaceful. Conquistadors were extremely brutal towards the Native Americans; therefore, their approach to convert the Native Americans to Catholicism was not very enticing because the conquistadors used extreme force and were anything but merciful. However, the main reason for the conquistadors’ persistence in exploring the Americas was not for Religious conversion, but the main driving force was the search for gold. In fact, the exploration continued on because the rulers of Spain “encouraged conquest by granting the conquistadors the lion’s share of the gold and silver they won” (Conlin, 15). In 1570, new Spanish laws were put into place because the excessive force and brutal nature of the conquistadors towards the Native Americas began to get a little out-of-hand. One of the most influential of these laws was the Ordinance of Discovery, which “banned the most brutal of military conquest” (Boyd, Class Notes). These new laws significantly changed the attitude of Native American’s towards the Spanish, which was very beneficial in the Spanish establishing permanent settlements in
While the Europeans came to and explored the Americas purposely, the Spanish’s conquest to the Americas was far from intentional. In 1492, Queen Isabella decided she would “take a chance” (Conlin, 12) on Christopher Columbus’s proposal to attempt to the reach the Indies by sailing West. Initially, the Spanish did not view the discovery of the Americas in a positive way; however, as time passed the Spanish began to “see the Americas as a possible source of income and wealth as opposed to an obstacle in the way of getting to Asia” (Boyd, Class Notes). Conquistadors led the exploration of the Americas, and the reputation that these men possessed was anything but friendly and peaceful. Conquistadors were extremely brutal towards the Native Americans; therefore, their approach to convert the Native Americans to Catholicism was not very enticing because the conquistadors used extreme force and were anything but merciful. However, the main reason for the conquistadors’ persistence in exploring the Americas was not for Religious conversion, but the main driving force was the search for gold. In fact, the exploration continued on because the rulers of Spain “encouraged conquest by granting the conquistadors the lion’s share of the gold and silver they won” (Conlin, 15). In 1570, new Spanish laws were put into place because the excessive force and brutal nature of the conquistadors towards the Native Americas began to get a little out-of-hand. One of the most influential of these laws was the Ordinance of Discovery, which “banned the most brutal of military conquest” (Boyd, Class Notes). These new laws significantly changed the attitude of Native American’s towards the Spanish, which was very beneficial in the Spanish establishing permanent settlements in