Spain, Britain, France, and Portugal all developed colonies in North and South America, but they administered them in differing ways. French explorers such as Jacques Cartier, and Samuel de Champlain founded French colonies on the island of Mont Real (now Montreal) and in Quebec by sailing along the St. Lawrence river. The summation of their new colonies became known as New France. After priest Jacques Marquette and trader Louis Joliet explored the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes, add Sieur de La Salle claimed the Mississippi for France and named Louisiana, New France covered much of the midwestern United States and eastern Canada.While New France was expansive, few people inhabited it. Most French colonists were more interested in the
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The Treaty of Tordesillas gave Spain all of the land to the west of a hypothetical north-south line. Because of the depopulation of Native Americans, the Spanish were able to seize farm lands. There were aspects of American Indian life that the Spanish left in place in their administration. For example, while the priestly class was eliminated, the existing Indian nobility remained with the support of Spanish authority. The enslavement of the Indians was banned by the mid-16th century, however other ways of getting labor or taxation were brought about. Encomiendas allowed individual conquerors to use Indians as workers and servants, and were generally detrimental to the natives' society. The colonial government also extracted labor and taxes from the natives. This included requiring communities to send groups of laborers for public works projects. Although a wage was paid for the work done, abuse of the system was abundant. Agriculture and mining (especially for silver) were the basis of the Spanish colonies' economies. Spain maintained control of their American empire through the use of a meticulously regulated bureaucratic system. Built on a juridical core, it was staffed mostly by university-trained, Spanish lawyers. The laws were codified by the Recopilación, and the king ruled through the Council of the …show more content…
The created the first plantation colonies in the Americas. While Spain and its colonies focused their efforts on mining and silver, Portugal's colonies produced tropical crops, like sugar, that were in high demand in Europe. Eventually, the British and the French established their own sugar plantations in the Caribbean, which undermined Brazil's control on the market. The Portuguese king sent a governor and other officers to Salvador, where a capital was established. Any indigenous resistance was quickly ended through a combination of military action, missionary activity, or disease. Brazil (under control of the Portuguese) became the world's leading sugar producing, primarily because of the labor of Native Americans and African slaves. A social hierarchy was created by the plantation system, and had a lasting impact: the white planter families became aristocracy, and the slaves were the lowliest of society. Similar to Spain, Portugal developed a bureaucratic structure in the Americas. Missionary orders held a particular importance in Portugal, as their large ranches and sugar mills provided them with wealth to support the construction of churches and schools. Just like in the Spanish colonies, officials who had training in the law were the heart of the bureaucracy. However, while the Spanish Empire existed almost exclusively in the Americas (aside from the Philippines), the Portuguese
The Treaty of Tordesillas gave Spain all of the land to the west of a hypothetical north-south line. Because of the depopulation of Native Americans, the Spanish were able to seize farm lands. There were aspects of American Indian life that the Spanish left in place in their administration. For example, while the priestly class was eliminated, the existing Indian nobility remained with the support of Spanish authority. The enslavement of the Indians was banned by the mid-16th century, however other ways of getting labor or taxation were brought about. Encomiendas allowed individual conquerors to use Indians as workers and servants, and were generally detrimental to the natives' society. The colonial government also extracted labor and taxes from the natives. This included requiring communities to send groups of laborers for public works projects. Although a wage was paid for the work done, abuse of the system was abundant. Agriculture and mining (especially for silver) were the basis of the Spanish colonies' economies. Spain maintained control of their American empire through the use of a meticulously regulated bureaucratic system. Built on a juridical core, it was staffed mostly by university-trained, Spanish lawyers. The laws were codified by the Recopilación, and the king ruled through the Council of the …show more content…
The created the first plantation colonies in the Americas. While Spain and its colonies focused their efforts on mining and silver, Portugal's colonies produced tropical crops, like sugar, that were in high demand in Europe. Eventually, the British and the French established their own sugar plantations in the Caribbean, which undermined Brazil's control on the market. The Portuguese king sent a governor and other officers to Salvador, where a capital was established. Any indigenous resistance was quickly ended through a combination of military action, missionary activity, or disease. Brazil (under control of the Portuguese) became the world's leading sugar producing, primarily because of the labor of Native Americans and African slaves. A social hierarchy was created by the plantation system, and had a lasting impact: the white planter families became aristocracy, and the slaves were the lowliest of society. Similar to Spain, Portugal developed a bureaucratic structure in the Americas. Missionary orders held a particular importance in Portugal, as their large ranches and sugar mills provided them with wealth to support the construction of churches and schools. Just like in the Spanish colonies, officials who had training in the law were the heart of the bureaucracy. However, while the Spanish Empire existed almost exclusively in the Americas (aside from the Philippines), the Portuguese