In What Ways did the English Colonies Differ from the Spanish and French Colonies? (Essay Sample)

Name Instructor Class Date In What Ways did the English Colonies Differ from the Spanish and French Colonies? English and Spanish and French colonies significantly differed in several ways. There were several grounds on which the colonies differed. Some of these grounds include the nature of the communities that the settlers first encountered, religious faith, sponsorship for the colonies, and whether settlers were families or single men. English differed from the Spanish and French colonies in four main ways, which are described below. First, the colonies differed on the basis of the kind of communities the two colonial powers initially encountered. On one hand, Spanish conquistadors found townships in the Caribbean and densely populated urban centers in Mexico and Peru (Seed 3; Suranyi 87). The initial Spaniards were mostly single men who were interested in personal gains. Their plans were to amass wealth and return home. They hoped to achieve this by using Native Americans as slaves who would provide labor in their farms, as well as extraction of metals and other raw materials. On the other hand, the English initially arrived at less densely populated areas. In those areas, native populations had been greatly diminished by diseases (Suranyi 87-88). The English were aware that it would be impossible to institute extensive slavery of the natives. Unlike the Spanish who were single individuals, the English also consisted of families that had servants that intended to have their own land for farming (Seed 11-15). The colonizers were unable to fulfill their wishes for bountiful crop production and gold. The reason is that their colonized territories had few precious metal deposits and the climate was unsuitable for plentiful crop production. However, southern colonies (Virginia, the Caribbean, British Guiana, and Belize) had relatively suitable climatic conditions that could support plenty harvests (Hart 104-108; Suranyi 87-88). Second, there were significant differences between English and Spanish in relation to racial discrimination. English colonies had widespread racial discrimination, unlike Spanish colonies. There was a serious tendency in English colonies to separate whites from blacks or natives. However, among Spanish and French colonies separation on the basis of skin color was not observed (Hart 104-105). In fact, there was a considerable blending of Spaniards and the natives. There was a very little likelihood of this occurring in English colonies. People of different colors interacted to the extent that intermarriage was comparatively disregarded. The reason for this difference was that whereas the Spanish most arrived as single men, the English mostly arrived as families. In addition, the Catholic French and Spanish religious beliefs held that people needed to exercise spiritual free will (Bulliet et al. 415, 417). As a result, the French and the Spanish encouraged Native Americans to be converted and subsequently go to church, where they would start interacting with the European settlers. Contrary to this religious view, Protestants (mainly Calvinists), “believed that spiritual grace came solely as God’s gift and could not be influenced by human will or actions” (Suranyi 90). Consequently, the English did not have any motivation or drive to pursue widespread conversions or welcoming natives into the Christianity community. Most of those who were converted had been influenced by declining populations due to diseases and those weak groups that had been discouraged in fighting the English. Such Indians concentrated in “praying towns” where they embraced Christianity and English culture, with some aspects of native governance. Following the English warfare with the Indians in the 1670s, the praying towns disappeared (Suranyi 90-91). Third, Spanish colonies were not sponsored like English colonies. Most of the English colonies were sponsored by noble patrons or guaranteed by joint-stock companies with many investors. The investors did not immigrate in person. Some examples of companies in this category include Virginia Company, the Massachusetts Bay Company, and Somers Isles Company in the Caribbean. The investors would have shared dividends in the event of success and shared risk when a failure occurred. From the perspective of the settlers, the endeavor provided financial resources for immigration and for obtaining tools, seed, and equipment for farming. The enterprise received legitimacy through a royal charter, with capitalist investors with large shares being members of the boards of directors. The board directors were the decision-making organ that determined the direction that the colonies would take. The board required that individual settlers sign to the undertaking. The sponsoring companies made publications in praise of wealth, healthiness, and productivity of the new farmlands. They used conversion of Indians as a cover story to justify their exploits overseas. The fact was that English colonies did not do much towards conversion, although there a few individuals who expended some efforts to convert natives (Bulliet et al. 415-416; Suranyi 87-90). Third, French colonies were more peaceful than English colonies. In French colonies, French relations with Indians were more peaceful than those of the English with the colonies. Two reasons might be advanced to explain this. First, French colonies were characterized by mutually beneficial trade, unlike the English colonies. English colonies were characterized by extensive settlements or production plantation that used forced native labor. Second, French colonies might have been more peaceful than their English counterparts ...