How Did Spain Influence North America

During the 1400’s all the way to the 1800’s, Spain was very successful in controlling land in the New World. It began when Christopher Columbus landed in the Bahamas in search of a new trade route to Asia. Many people soon discovered that it wasn’t Asia, but in fact a whole new world. But, they never colonized significant areas of North America. Central and South America was where the majority of Spanish settlements were found. Many people left Spain in search of a new beginning.

Originally, many conquistadors travelled to the New World to conquer and convert Native Americans to Catholicism. Eventually, this drew hundreds of thousands of people to America in search of spreading their religion, and re-creating their lives. Settlements began to develop, and more and more people came to Central and South America. As a result, Native Americans became mistreated and were developing into slaves. Finally, the people accepted that they were turning into slaves, so they brought in Africans to help. The Natives couldn’t do anything to stop, the Spanish leaders had unknowingly killed most of their families with diseases like smallpox. Many new changes were about to come. …show more content…
Most times they also tried to extract riches and becoming even more rich at home. It may seem surprising, but the Spanish did find silver in Bolivia in 1545. Consequently, boatloads of people came in search of the same riches. After not succeeding, some of these people would become merchants in a very successful trade business. It became known as the Columbian Exchange. Ships would be sent from the Old World to the New World. Items would be exchanged for ones that aren’t available at home. For example, horses came to the New World, and in return, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and other crops would be sent back. Central and South America soon became very rich and plentiful for