The Spanish have influenced the society of the United States of America in a number of ways and are most certainly one of the most impactful groups to many aspects of the society that has now been established. This influence stems back to centuries ago when the Spaniards were at the peak of their empire. Their strongest years would be from 1500 to 1720, when the Spaniards were in the midst of their conquistador era and dominated many territories (Macleod 374). People of Spanish descent make up our country's largest ethnic minority and are approximately 17 percent of the population in the US (Census.gov). Since the birth of the nation the Spanish culture has been deeply integrated and has continued to become a larger part of the communities.
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“There was the motive of conquest. Of this phase of the movement the Spanish conquests in America may be taken as typical. In them the impulse to seize land, to subject peoples, to appropriate the movable wealth of these peoples, especially their gold and silver, was the dominant trait” (Moore 27). 1492 is when an Italian born man, 41 years old then, was sent by the Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain with three ships. Christopher Columbus is arguably the most significant explorers for Spain, but there are many more navigators and colonizers who are worthy of praise. Two more explorers who were noticeably influential to North America include Juan Ponce de León and Hernando de Soto. Juan Ponce de León and Hernando de Soto discovered areas that now belong to the USA. These two conquistadors came years after Columbus and other major impactors like the cartographer Amerigo Vespucci. During the 1530s Hernando de Soto accomplished noteworthy tasks such as the domination of Peru for the Spanish, and the discovery of the Mississippi River. De Soto initially left for North America because he heard of voyages that other explorers of his time pursued. He heard of men discovering Florida and was intrigued by the resources that the south eastern region of North America obtained. De Soto made it to Florida, traveled north to Georgia, then to Alabama before coming upon the mouth of the Mississippi River. Hernando de Soto and his men became the first Europeans to travel along the river due to going on this voyage. Juan Ponce de León is the man who gave the state of Florida its name. Ponce de León originally started his expedition in hopes of finding gold and creating fame for himself. Ponce de León spent the early 1500s settling in modern day Dominican Republic and Haiti. After he colonized there he returned to Spain. This is
“There was the motive of conquest. Of this phase of the movement the Spanish conquests in America may be taken as typical. In them the impulse to seize land, to subject peoples, to appropriate the movable wealth of these peoples, especially their gold and silver, was the dominant trait” (Moore 27). 1492 is when an Italian born man, 41 years old then, was sent by the Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain with three ships. Christopher Columbus is arguably the most significant explorers for Spain, but there are many more navigators and colonizers who are worthy of praise. Two more explorers who were noticeably influential to North America include Juan Ponce de León and Hernando de Soto. Juan Ponce de León and Hernando de Soto discovered areas that now belong to the USA. These two conquistadors came years after Columbus and other major impactors like the cartographer Amerigo Vespucci. During the 1530s Hernando de Soto accomplished noteworthy tasks such as the domination of Peru for the Spanish, and the discovery of the Mississippi River. De Soto initially left for North America because he heard of voyages that other explorers of his time pursued. He heard of men discovering Florida and was intrigued by the resources that the south eastern region of North America obtained. De Soto made it to Florida, traveled north to Georgia, then to Alabama before coming upon the mouth of the Mississippi River. Hernando de Soto and his men became the first Europeans to travel along the river due to going on this voyage. Juan Ponce de León is the man who gave the state of Florida its name. Ponce de León originally started his expedition in hopes of finding gold and creating fame for himself. Ponce de León spent the early 1500s settling in modern day Dominican Republic and Haiti. After he colonized there he returned to Spain. This is