Spanish Empire Research Paper

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The Spanish empire had many goals to accomplish; dreams of successfully expanding their rule to the Americas, converting the people to the Christian Catholic religion, and finding riches to increase their wealth. Slavery was the cornerstone of the development of the Spanish empire. Being indigenous to the area, the slaves had lots of information on how to survive in this part of the primitive world. The acquisition of slaves bettered the Spanish empire, by means of expansion and religious gains. Agricultural knowledge and laborious servitude from the slaves influenced the European discovery of the New World, playing a crucial role in the Spanish empires growth and economic success. As discussed in lecture, slavery is what fueled the discovery of the New World. The Spanish conquest was largely due to the rumors of fertile lands, superior freedom, and an abundance of riches. Hernan Cortes is set on conquering the Aztecs, in order to fulfill his need of replacement slaves. The Spanish need slaves to work their cattle ranches, sugar plantations, and gold mines. Spain conquered the Aztecs because of the high advantages Cortes had. Cortes had native allies, superior weaponry, urbanization, and the detrimental effect of diseases on the Aztecs. Hernan Cortes’ dream of establishing an imperial colony, so he can have complete control, hinges on the labor output and assistance from the natives. The slaves create Spain’s New World infrastructure, and 250,000 colonists, that were pushed out by the Spanish empire, immigrate and settle in America. Slavery is the central issue of the 16th century Spanish empire, along with conversion, violence, and internal resistance. Resistance came from having foreign men come in and completely abolish everything the Aztecs had ever known. The Spanish imperial success breeds competition and greed. In search of more slaves, the Spanish expanded northward. In addition to slaves, they are hoping to find new regions that will help stave off European rivals. With the acquisition of slaves came the birth of encomiendas. Spanish conquistadors were in search of a way to control their new people, and so the encomienda system was established. Under the encomienda system, the natives thought they were going to be educated and protected, but encomienda was just a sneaky word for slavery. The Spanish enforcement of encomiendas changed the Aztec farming practices. The enslaved natives were forced to share their intellectual and physical strengths. Spaniards utilized the labor efforts of the slaves to domesticate animals, cultivate sugar and grains, and to implement the European farming practices that have been proven successful. The Spanish abused the power of encomiendas by simply enslaving Indians and taking their lands. Agriculture in the New World was getting …show more content…
After the Indian population had dwindled drastically, the effectiveness of encomiendas decreased. The hacienda system of landed estates found a home where the encomienda system used to prosper. The hacienda system was a system where American Indians worked free of wages for a landowner, and were bound to the land by being indebted to the state. Haciendas were the main means of production. They produced food for the miners, saddles, ropes, and sacks which aided in the production of gold and silver. Agriculture and ranching supported the time of haciendas and econmiendas. Although the encomienda system was not abolished until the 18th century, it remained unpopular for an extended period of

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