Colonizing North America: France, England, and The Spanish

Throughout history exploration has always been a part of many cultures and the history of North America is no exception as many countries such as France, England, and the Spanish have pushed through certain obstacles to try to conquer the continent. Colonists crossed the Atlantic Ocean in pursuit of different things for their own benefit and each country had a different perspective in colonizing North America. But of course, these perspectives would greatly alter and ultimately determine the fate of the New World. Such so that these differences brought both certain disadvantages and advantages in their mission with England having more freedom because of how they governed themselves with respect to their king. As opposed to

Spain and France who were both governed by an authoritarian leadership that only served the crown. By 1763 the English had conquered North America by defeating Spain and France in the French and Indian War and were the pioneers of cultivating culture by allowing others to have a chance in joining their colonies​ ​therefore the English were the superior colonists in achieving their goals in the New World because of how effective their methods were ​ There are three main reasons that support this claim. First, the English welcomed other immigrants which helped their population grow, but also helped them diversify in many ways. Secondly, they were self-governed and were allowed to set up local governments and representative assemblies that enabled them to tax one another so long as they were loyal to the crown. Lastly, Their economy was extremely diverse which offered farming, fishing, and trading. Not only that, but they also had access to exports such as rice, timber, and tobacco.

First, the English welcomed other immigrants which helped their population grow. Now because The English were the last to colonize they did not care much for religion as opposed to wealth and farming at that time. For example, The English sent massive amounts of settlers who were not very interested in evangelism as opposed to the Spanish who wanted to convert the Indians to Christianity. The English welcomed many immigrants from different places who wanted to settle whether it was for gold, farming, or following their own religious beliefs that may have been banned in England. Within 1754 the population of the English colonies consisted of 85% white colonists with who was of English, Irish, and Scottish descent.

Leaving the other 15% to the Germans and the Dutch. Although the English colonies were diverse they also accounted for having 287,00 slaves out of 1.5 million residents who were imported in the 13 colonies. By comparison unlike The English, France and Spain were against immigration thus limiting their population growth in the New World which served as a disadvantage. For example, France had very slow growth in their early colonization with amounting to only having no more than 5,000 colonists in 1672 and under 40,000 in Canada by 1734. Moreover, Spain had bigger issues in population growth since they were more focused in their wealth and military quest. Still, they had a fairly large population in Florida, Texas, California, and Mexico. With The English being the most populated they also had the most variety in terms of population sources due to the fact that colonists were able to recruit middle-class farmers and tradesmen.

Second, The English were self-governed and were allowed to set up local governments and representative assemblies that enabled them to tax one another so long as they were loyal to the crown. This is not very different from today as the thirteen colonies had a system that had town meetings. Similar to what we have today including county government in many states. After all the thirteen colonies were under a legislature, the British Parliament which is very similar to today's congress. This also allowed for a president who was chosen by the king who had similar power of the king in England. The structure of the government in the thirteen colonies was made in a thought-out manner that benefited the rich during these times. Which seemed selfish, but in my opinion was needed in order to help succeed England in prospering in the New World. In addition, the colonies were protected by the British Empire which aided them in trading by reducing confrontation with pirates or warships. In having the British flag this would increase their chances of getting help from the British in times of help. On the contrary, the French colonies were subjected to only the French king thus not having any political rights or representative government. Basically, this limited them in such ways that made them feel restricted. As opposed to The English who could improve their government through meetings which was another thing that the French could not do without permission.

Third, their economy was extremely diverse which offered farming, fishing, and trading. Not only that, but they also had access to exports such as rice, timber, and tobacco which was the main source for trading during that time. In terms of agriculture and trade, the English were arguably the best in this skill. The thing that set the English apart from the Spanish and the French was that they were not interested in making the Indians work for them or setting up a trading post; all they were focused on was making money and one way was to become a farmer. They thrived in cash crops and trading these items in the market not only that, but they also had massive amounts of staple crops which fed their own. For example, the English had plantations in Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolinas which produced crops such as indigo, tobacco, and rice. Whereas the middle colonies such as New York, New Jersey, and Delaware were the main transport for these cash crops. Along the same lines, the French attempted farming but ultimately failed as they tried to set up plantations in the Mississippi Valley which in truth were not very profitable. As for the Spanish, they had massive connections in the trading market but were heavily regulated by the Spanish military to ensure no one was cheating them. In spite of all the success that The English were seeing they did of course have certain things that put them at a disadvantage such as cutting all relations with the Native Americans by trying to push them out of their homeland. In the same way, the Spanish tried to convert the Natives to Christianity, but at the end, the soldiers would eventually try to kill them. Unlike the English and the Spanish, the French offered respect to the Native Americans that allowed them to form alliances which provided useful as the Natives would help them against the British during the war.

In conclusion, the English were the superior settlers in the New World due to their massive population and diverse economy. It is also important to note that the English were focused on staying in the New World instead of just trying to make a quick profit unlike the Spanish and French who sought to evangelize the Native Americans. The English were very successful in establishing a strong government which allowed them to regulate their colonies and establish order.

References

1. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-ushistory/chapter/the-growth-of-the-colonies/
2. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-ushistory1ay/chapter/english-colonization/
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecFVogu0H2w
4. http://sageamericanhistory.net/colonies_empire/topics/britishgovernment.html
5. http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/outlines/economy-1991/a-historical-perspective-on-the-american-economy/colonial-economy.php
6. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-ushistory/chapter/the-growth-of-the-colonies/
7. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-ushistory1ay/chapter/english-colonization/
8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecFVogu0H2w
9. http://sageamericanhistory.net/colonies_empire/topics/britishgovernment.html
10. http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/outlines/economy-1991/a-historical-perspective-on-the-american-economy/colonial-economy.php
11. http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/outlines/economy-1991/a-historical-perspective-on-the-american-economy/colonial-economy.php