Colonization of the 'New World' (College Board AP® US History)

Summary

Spain, France, the Netherlands, and Great Britain all had different approaches to economic growth, religious life, and social structure within the Americas and to the Indigenous people they encountered in the “New World”.  

• Spain focused on extracting wealth, especially gold and silver, using the encomienda system to force Indigenous People into labor. They always worked to convert Indigenous People to Christianity, establishing a rigid social system with Spaniards at the top. 

• France established fur trading posts and built good relationships with Indigenous People for trade, especially in Canada. 

• The Netherlands focused on creating profitable trading networks, especially in New York and were known for their tolerance of various cultures. 

• Great Britain established colonies focused on farming and settlement. 

All these countries impacted the Americas by changing the social, economic, and cultural landscape of the region – often at the expense of Indigenous Peoples.

Spain’s Approach to Colonization of the “New World”

Reasons for Colonization

Wealth

• Gaining wealth through gold and silver mining to 

  • increase the funds of the Spanish Crown 

  • expand Spain’s national power 

Religion

• Converting Indigenous people to Catholicism, often through force and subjugation  

Power

• Settling in the ‘New World’ 

  • Male settlers arrived, along with a much smaller number of Spanish women

  • Intermarriage between Spaniards and Indigenous peoples created the social class known as mestizos

Relationships with Indigenous Peoples

• Spain overworked and exploited Indigenous people to work in the plantations and mines  

• The Spanish considered Indigenous people to be inferior

  • They looked to “civilize” them by converting them to Christianity

• The Indigenous Peoples:

  • were whipped or sold for profit

  • sometimes suffered miscarriages because of the demands of carrying heavy loads

  • sometimes died from hunger, weakness, and infectious disease

• When Indigenous populations declined due to these brutal conditions, Spanish colonies replaced them with enslaved African labor

France and the Netherlands approach to colonization of the ‘New World’

Reasons for colonization

Fur trade

• There was a growing fur trade in Canada and Northern America after discovering no route to Asian markets through the Northwest Passage

• Europe had a high demand for fur pelts, especially beaver

• The French and Dutch established small trading posts for single men rather than large family settlements 

  • Low hunting costs resulted in large profits 

Religion

• The French and Dutch wanted to convert Indigenous peoples to the Catholic faith  

  • Priests traveled to the ‘New World’ 

• The French focused more on religious conversion than the Dutch

  • The Dutch colonists were mainly interested in trade 

Relationship with Indigenous peoples

• The French traded textiles, weapons, and iron tools with Indigenous peoples for furs

• French and Indigenous peoples began to marry one another 

• The Dutch established a trade relationship with the Iroquois Confederacy, the most powerful Indigenous group at the time 

• The French and the Dutch began to trade beads with Indigenous Peoples

  • Some historians call the beads a unit of exchange instead of a unit of currency

  • The three groups had different names for the beads

    • wampumpeag (word from Massachusetts Indigenous group)

    • porcelain (French)

    • sewant (Dutch)

• Purple beads had more value than white ones

Great Britain’s colonization of the ‘New World’ 

Reasons for colonization

Religion

• People in the ‘New World’ had freedom of religion

  • Puritans and Pilgrims: wanted to escape from persecution for religious beliefs that did not align with the Church of England

  • Jews, Catholics and Protestants: Europeans of different faiths were all welcomed 

Government

• In the colonies, people were able to practice democratic ideas and self-government

• Although Great Britain maintained overall control, the colonies were granted a degree of autonomy through local governments

  • Allowing colonists to have a say in the management of their own affairs

• Many of the colonies were established with charters that allowed for self-rule, with local leaders chosen by the settlers themselves.

• The British monarchy retained ultimate control over the colonies, with governors appointed by the king overseeing colonial affairs

  • This created tensions, as colonists had to balance local self-rule with the authority of the monarchy

  • This tension laid the groundwork for future conflicts and a desire for independence

Wealth

• Many English colonists opposed high taxes imposed by the British government

  • Particularly the American colonists who felt they were unfairly taxed without proper representation in Parliament

  • This opposition became a key factor leading to tensions that eventually sparked the American Revolution

• Colonization offered new opportunities for economic prosperity 

  • Colonists increased their wealth through new business ventures and land ownership

    • Especially in the Southern colonies

• The promise of landownership and the ability to trade goods such as tobacco, sugar, and timber, created greater opportunities for social mobility that were unavailable in Europe

  • The “New World” was seen as a place where hard work could lead to upward social movement

    • This attracted both men and women looking for better living conditions and opportunities to start fresh in the “New World” 

Relationship with Indigenous peoples 

• Indigenous peoples believed a single individual could not own land

• The British pressured Indigenous peoples to convert to Christianity

  • printing the Bible in the Wampanoag language

  • establishing “praying towns” where ministers preached to Indigenous people who lived there 

  • discouraging marriage between British settlers and Indigenous peoples

• Indigenous peoples died from infectious diseases such as smallpox and measles that were brought over by the settlers