Colonization

Who had the most important colonies in the Americas?

Spanish• With Columbus discovery of the “New

World” Spanish colonies began to appear on Hispanola, Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico

• Cortes moved colonization to the main land and the establishment of land grants soon led to settlement through Central America and with Pizzaro’s conquest of the Inca Western S. America was colonized

• The Spanish came for the three Gs Gold Glory and God– -When Columbus and Cortes returned with

gold, many Spaniards loaded up to find their fortunes, after 700 yrs of fighting the Muslims and a new unified country they sought the glory of a land owning knight, and being protectors of the Catholic faith they always brought missionary priest to convert the natives

• Coronado opened the SW USA, Onate established New Mexico, Balboa named the Pacific ocean- calm sea

• Sent tons of gold and silver back to Spain

French• French began exploring down St. Lawrence

river• Established trading posts with missions to

convert the natives• Fur was their product of wealth and

carried them west to explore the Mississippi and Great Lakes, claimed all of the land drained by the Mississippi

• Established port of New Orleans• Built friendly relations with natives, not

conquer them• Main city they built a stone castle on a

cliff, called it Quebec, also a major fur center was Montreal

• Took a few small Island in lesser Antilles and north coast of S. America, French Guiana

English• England was late coming to

Americas, because of inner strife in royalty

• Jamestown, VA established for gold, but Plymouth, Boston, Baltimore, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and New Hampshire all created for religious freedom, because of persecution

• Georgia was a debtors prison and the Carolinas were developed for tobacco and cotton

• After taking over Dutch colonies, New York and New Jersey were enhanced

• English colonies still relied on British supplies to survive and drove the natives inland

• Colonized small islands in Antilles and a small patch of S. America

Portuguese• Portuguese controlled 2/3rds

of S.America and built beautiful cities and controlled the native population

• Brought in more slaves than anyone

• Lost all but Brazil in a decision by the Cardinal of the Americas who was Spanish in Treaty of Tordesillas

• Today Brazil still speaks Portuguese because of colonization

Dutch• The Dutch originally claimed

all of the land around Hudson Bay

• Established New Netherland with New Amsterdam as capital, later became New York

• Lost to the British in a treaty in Europe

• Still maintained Suriname and a few Islands off the coast in the Caribbean