Reasons For Spanish Colonization

Spain, Great Britain and France all had different reasons for exploring and colonizing the New World, however many of the same consequences occurred from their actions. Spain continued their search for gold, as well as for slaves in the New World, which was later named America. Great Britain, although joining later in the century began to explore America as a result of social unrest due to inflation within Britain. France was also experiencing social unrest within the country in the form of religious prosecution. Each country wanted to gain riches, however each was also in the search of something else, such as land, economic stability and religious freedom. Their pursuits of these things lead to the contact with the Natives who inhabited America. …show more content…
They turned their sights to America. They explored, but upon finding no gold and the territory not as populated the Spanish turned away. They did return, however and built cities and plantations. “Spanish colonization began in earnest in 1769 with the establishment of a mission in the Native village of Cosoy, later called San Diego by the newcomers. The Spanish institutions of colonization were the military presidios (or forts) to protect the Franciscan missionaries, and later the Hispanic colonists who established pueblos (civilian towns)” (Champagne et el. 305). The goals was to conquer the Indian people and convert them to Christainty. This was unsuccessful at times, but in other instances “[m]estizo and Indian peasants also participated in the commercial economy, producing foodstuffs for the market and working in haciendas, mines, and transport as wage laborers. Indian villages were the main source of temporary and low-cost labor for all Spanish-creole enterprises” (The Early …show more content…
Some practiced interracial marriages in order to keep in good faith, as well as other reasons. Jesuit missionaries learned native language and customs, which produced an inclusion system between the French and Natives. They wanted to add the Christians belief system to the Natives customs instead of abolishing them as the Spanish and British tried to do. The French also became involved in the wars between the Natives in order to keep control of the fur trade. Author Cornelius Jaenen explains in his article French Expansion In North America how “[a]s long as Native American traders would bring the peltries to these beachheads there was little incentive for expansion into the heartland” (Jaenen). These differences, except for interracial marriages, are drastically different than the methods Spain and Britain used when interacting with