Major Issues in Colonization: Comparing Spain, France, England, and the Netherlands

What’s on this webpage:

What Is This Webpage For and What Do the Colors Mean?. 1

Looking at Events Nation-by-Nation to Determine Patterns in Colonization. 1

How did the Broad Trends in Europe (and Where These Europeans Went in the Americas) Lead to Differences in How the Europeans Dealt with the Americas?. 4

What Is This Webpage For and What Do the Colors Mean?

You can memorize history or you can understand it. In the long run, understanding history takes less time than memorizing and lasts for your lifetime—something that can’t be said for memorizing. This webpage can help you understand the interconnected issues.

You are not to memorize these dates or details about the counties: they are meant to provide background only, including background to help you with terms for the Exam. You will have:

§ No questions on the objective part of Exam 1 that are different from the objective questions in Quiz A, B, or C

§ No paragraphs to write for the Short Evidence Project part of Exam 1 than the terms listed for you.

Color reveals the nations in the remaining sections of this webpage. If you have trouble seeing colors, the names of the nations are provided as well. The colors are:

blue	= England (later called Great Britain)
green	= France
red	= Spain
lavender	= The Netherlands (Note: Holland, the area where the Separatists go for a while, is one of its provinces. The people of The Netherlands are called the Dutch.)

Looking at Events Nation-by-Nation to Determine Patterns in Colonization

This is color-coded to show connections to the table that follows.

Look for the interconnections between nations. Notice the roles in the New World:

Of the church (Jesuits, Franciscans)
O feudalism (seigneuries, encomienda, patroonships, with equivalent activities by the English)
Of slavery.

Notice where they are and what their source of wealth is. Notice what people have a reason to risk their lives crossing the Atlantic to settle in one of these new colonies. Several areas are identified with the words They try feudalism. If you want to find the pages in our textbook that cover this, click here.

Nation	Date	Event
Spain	1519-1521	Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés, conquers the Aztecs and takes their gold (Royal fifth goes to the king.)
Spain	1530-1533	Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizzaro, conquers the Incas and takes their gold
Spain	1560	Spanish Jesuits, missionary efforts increased in the Americas
Spain	1565	St. Augustine, colony (Spain)
Spain	1573	Spanish Franciscans, responsibility for pacification New Mexico, Florida Indians
England	1578	Elizabeth, charters to settle in the New World granted by
Dutch and Spain	1581	Netherlands (a Protestant area)—declaration of independence with ongoing wars with Spain (a Roman Catholic area)
France	1582	Cargo of furs (France) 1,500% profit – Notice how much profit. If you could invest $1.00 and get $1500 back, what would you do?
England	1585	Roanoke, colony (England)—Sir Walter Raleigh – the first English colony in the New World
England and Spain	1588	Spanish Armada, defeat of—shift of naval power to England and making it easier for Protestant nations to trade
Spain	1598	Spanish encomienda system (translation: charge or commission) – They try feudalism.
France	1598	Edict of Nantes (France) issued giving toleration to Protestants (the Calvinist French Huguenots) so the Protestants do not have to leave France to worship safely.
Dutch	1600s	Slave sales by the Dutch, with the Dutch trading for slaves and with the New World
France	1600s	French colonial seigneuries (translation: senior lord.) – They try feudalism.
France	1600s	French Jesuit missionaries
France	1600s	French coureurs de bois (translation: runners of the woods) – They must trade to get the furs and therefore they make alliances with the Indians.
Dutch	1602	United (Dutch) East India Company, with the Dutch trading in the Far East (their major area of activity)
France	1608	Quebec, colony (France)
Spain	1609	Santa Fe, colony (Spain)
France	1609	French aid for Hurons v. Five Nations (Iroquois)
Dutch	1609	Henry Hudson (Dutch; of England), explores in New World
German areas	1618*	Thirty Years War (German areas), began partly over religion – The wars continue for 30 years.
England	1620	Plymouth, colony (English)
Dutch	1621	Dutch West India Company, with the Dutch trading in the New World
Dutch	1624+	New Netherlands, main settlement of New Amsterdam, colony (Dutch)
France	1627	Status of “natural French” when Indians were baptized
Dutch	1629	New Netherlands, patroonships offered – They try feudalism.
England	1634	Maryland – They try to try feudalism.
German areas	1638*	Thirty Years War (German areas), closed by Treaty of Westphalia which says—to simplify—that a nation-state can determine its own religion
Dutch	1648	Netherlands independence recognized and Dutch Protestants no longer have a reason to leave.
England	1660s	Carolinas– They try to try feudalism.
France	1685	Edict of Nantes (France) revoked so now French Protestants have a reason to leave France

How did the Broad Trends in Europe (and Where These Europeans Went in the Americas) Lead to Differences in How the Europeans Dealt with the Americas?

This table provides a way for you to think through the differences in the colonies. Look at each row in the table. For example, ask yourself what is the difference in the practical consequence if the Europeans are predominantly male or come with their families? Few in number and spread out or concentrated in one place? Doing agriculture or trading with the native population? Are individual farmers or large-scale (with many laborers needed) agriculture? Believe they must convert the Indians or not?

Trait	Spanish	French	English	Dutch
Where they went?	Central and South America	Canada and down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of New Mexico	Atlantic sea coast	Area later called New York (Most of their colonies are in the Far East.)
Demographics of the colonies?	450,000 through mid-1600s Mainly male	15,000 by 1700 Mainly male	Families: > 2,000 in early 1600s 50,000 by mid-1600s	Families: > 300 in early 1600s
Demographics of the colonies? (Why would ordinary people come?)	Catholicism dominated Spain, so mainly men, came not families	Protestants lived safely in France until the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, so until that time mainly men came, not families	As the link showing the English kings and their religions reveals, there was regularly some group whose religion was rejected by the crown. With persecution, families have a reason to take the risk of taking women and children across the Atlantic and of living in a wilderness.	Although the initial settlers were some Protestant refugees,[1] once the Spanish–those persecuting the Protestants—were forced out of the Netherlands, Protestant families were safe without moving to colonies
Economy of colonies?	Conquest Mining Agriculture, large scale	Fur trade—the coureurs de bois	Agriculture Shipbuilding	Fur trade Breweries Agriculture [2]
Large landholdings? (feudal landholdings)	Yes	Yes, attempted but fails	Attempted, fails as feudalism but occurs with slavery in the South	Yes, called patroonships [3]
Local governance?	Primarily a Spanish administration although your textbooks refers to some region governance	Primarily a French administration	Local governance in the colonies, particularly in New England with its town meetings. (Covered with the English settlement.)	No, a Dutch administration
Missionary effort?	Yes, sometimes by forced conversion	Yes, but they adapt the religion to the Native Americans	Some, but generally separate from the Native Americans	¾
Mix with the native population, including intermarriage?	Yes. Mainly a male population migrated.	Yes. Mainly a male population migrated.	Rarely. Among the reasons, migration of families in all areas but the South.	¾

WCJC Department:	History – Dr. Bibus
Contact Information:	281.239.1577 or bibusc@wcjc.edu
Last Updated:	2012
WCJC Home:	http://www.wcjc.edu/

[1] This and the remaining entries in the column are from the Oxford Companion to United States History, p. 199.

[2] This and the remaining entries in the column are from the Oxford Companion to United States History, p. 199.

[3] This and the remaining entries in the column are from the Oxford Companion to United States History, p. 199.