american colonial societies american colonial societies spain: the “model” colonizer spain was...
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American ColonialSocieties
American Colonial SocietiesSpain: The “Model” Colonizer
Spain was the “model” colonizer Not in the sense that other
European nations slavishly followed their example in terms of how they colonized the New World
Instead, the Spanish experience in Central and South America helped shape the expectations of other European colonizers in the New World
Government of Spanish America Because of the vast wealth it
generated, Spanish monarchs tried to keep their American colonies under tight control
Colonies organized into “viceroyalties” under a “viceroyal” directly appointed by the king
Viceroyal advised by an Audencia, but his word was law
Most Spanish Kings tried to keep the viceroyals on a tight leash
However, distance made this goal difficult to achieve in practice, since oversight limited to visiting inspectors
Spain was once thedominant colonial power
in the Americas
American Colonial SocietiesImportant Institutions of Spanish America
The Catholic Church Bartolome de Las Casas: success-
fully promoted the idea that the Indians had souls and should not be killed or enslaved
Missions had the dual purpose of converting the Indians to Christianity and “civilizing” them (i.e., turning them into good Spanish peasants)
Encomienda A grant of land and Indian laborers to
a Spaniard The Spaniard could make use of the
Indian labor, but in return was expected to work to convert the Indians to Christianity and civilize them
Early encomiendas involved the ruthless exploitation of natives
American Colonial SocietiesSocial Groups of Spanish America
Peninsulares Spanish-born persons They were at the top of the economic
and political order in Spanish America
Creoles People born in America, but of pure
Spanish ancestry A midling group in Spanish America
Mestizos/Mulattoes Mestizos: persons of mixed Spanish
and Indian ancestry—eventually the largest single group
Mulattoes: persons of mixed Spanish and African ancestry
Indians/Africans Persons of pure Indian or African
ancestry—at the bottom of society
American Colonial SocietiesPortugal in Brazil
Portugal’s claim to Brazil based on the Treaty of Tordesillas and the 1500 visit of Pedro Alvares Cabral
However from 1500 to 1530, Portugal paid little attention to Brazil because its attention was directed at exploiting its new sea trade routes to Asia
Captaincies Between 1534 and 1536, King John
III granted fifteen captaincies to Portuguese noblemen to settle, administer, and profit from in Brazil
The successful captaincies developed as sugar colonies
In 1549, John III reasserted royal control and Brazil developed a colonial government similar to Spanish America
American Colonial SocietiesFrance
The French moved gradually into North America in the 16th century
Like the Spanish, they initially came looking for treasure, but found none in what is today Quebec
They stayed, however, because they found it profitable to trade European goods with the Indians for animal furs
Like the Spanish they tried to convert the Indians to Christianity, but initially did not seek conquest
The fur trade worked best with a limited French presence, mostly traders
coureurs de bois
Eventually the French established larger settlements, but they were small compared to the English
American Colonial SocietiesEngland (1)
The first successful English colony in North America was established at Jamestown in Virginia in 1607
Established by the Virginia Company of London, a joint-stock company charted by James I
The intent of the company was to emulate the Spanish model Live initially by exploiting the Indians Find and seize Indian treasure This model did not work because the
Indians in the Chesapeake region were poor hunter-farmers
Most early colonists soon died from disease and starvation
Tobacco The salvation of the colony was
tobacco, brought in from the Caribbean
After the introduction of tobacco, Virginia prospered, although life remained rough and life spans short until the late 1600s
Artist’s conceptionof early Jamestown
That“noxious weed”
American Colonial SocietiesEngland (2)
The other main early center of English settlement in North America was in New England
Separatist Puritans settled in 1620 near Cape Cod, establishing Plymouth
Congregationalist Puritans established the much larger Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1629
Hence, unlike the colonization of the Chesapeake Bay region, whose basis was economic, the motive of the Puritans who settled in New England was religious
They were escaping persecution by religious authorities of the Church of England and in the case of Mass. Bay wished to prove the feasibility of a Puritan-based society
Although the religious experiment failed they and their descendants prospered in America and enjoyed some of the longest average life- spans in the 1600s