Spanish And English Colonization Essay

After Columbus ' discovery of the Americas, Spain reaped the benefits of this New World. More than a century later, Europeans finally took an interest in establishing colonies in North America. King James I of England established Jamestown, made up of men from the Virginia Company, in Virginia in 1607. Soon after, England established several new colonies along the Atlantic Coast. While Spain and British colonization efforts both began with the goal of finding new wealth, they differed in their religious aspects and their treatment of the native people. Spain and England were both enticed by the promise of wealth in the New World. Columbus ' discovery and exaggeration of the gold he found led to several other Spanish voyages across the Atlantic Sea. The idea of "God, Gold, and Glory" inspired the conquistadores, including Pizarro and Cortés. For example, Pizarro conquered the Inca …show more content…
Both countries obtained wealth, but in different ways. The Spanish gained wealth through the discovery of gold and the English through investors and cash crops like tobacco. Spanish religious efforts focused greatly on religious unity and the conversion of natives to Catholicism, while the English colonists saw America as a safe haven for their different religious beliefs. Lastly, the Spanish believed that the native people were meant to be slaves, and this belief led to slavery for the natives as well as poor treatment. The English, on the other hand, befriended the native people in hopes of peace and survival. The motives of wealth can be seen as a natural desire of man, and therefore would entice both the Spanish and the English. However, the different religious efforts and the vastly different treatment of the natives illustrate the different cultures and beliefs of the Spanish and the