Colonial approaches of Spain, France, Dutch, and British powers in the New World

¶ … England, France, Spain (and to a lesser degree, Holland) approach their interaction with the New World differently?

The Spanish did not initially seek out to establish colonies in the New World but rather desired \"fortune and glory\" (Remini 6). Aided by the spread of disease to which the natives had no immunity, the Spanish quickly conquered the New World and created a caste-based society in which individuals of Spanish extraction ruled. The Spanish had little compunction about killing native leaders and aggressively engaging in missionary activities (although they still enslaved many of the peoples whom they conquered). The colonies were centrally ruled and administered by the king and designed to maximize the land\'s valuable minerals and human wealth in the form of slaves for the crown.

The French, seeing the enrichment that colonization had generated for the Spanish, soon followed suit in seeking to profit from the New World. However, they did not engage in widespread settlement but mainly benefited from the Canadian fur trade. The French were more apt to work with the native population than to actively subjugate them, including allying with the Huron against their enemies the Iroquois (Remini 9). \"Like the French, the Dutch concentrated on obtaining furs, not on colonization,\" and primarily engaged in trade although with the Iroquois rather than the Huron tribe (Remini 9). Unlike the Spanish, they were not interested in glory and investing vast amounts of wealth in administering colonies far away. The British, historic enemies of the Spanish, were initially interested in emulating the Spanish model of colonization and using territories abroad to profit. But the lands where they settled had no gold and ultimately English settlers were initially forced to work with the native population simply to survive the winter (Remini 11). Many English settlers also came to the New World seeking religious freedom and to create communities founded upon their Puritan, anti-Anglican ideals.

Q2. Which were more successful in the long run and why?

Ultimately, the British were more successful in establishing permanent settlements in New England, largely because of the population\'s zeal to found a colony governed by religious principles. The English settlers also had little desire to return to the land from which they had come (Remini 22). The southern colonies were founded primarily for the purposes of financial gain but were supported by slavery and the success of cash crops. Eventually, \"a mercantile class developed\" in Boston and began to displace the Puritans in their social power but overall, the forces surrounding the development of the British colonies were more conducive to fostering a new society with its own unique, independent culture which flourished with far less influence and oversight by the Mother Country (Remini 22).

Q3. No one found a faster route to India, but the New World did offer other advantages-what do you think was the greatest advantage it offered and why?