Colonial America In The 17th Century

Colonial America in the 17th Century could be summarized as the establishment period. Colonists had explored and claimed enough land to call theirs, and they were focused on implementing customs such as religion, politics, and ethics. In order to do this, colonies decided to force their ideas onto other civilizations such as foreigners or indigenous people. Accomplishing this would open doors to land and overall economic development, but it would also lead to battles and wars between the two conflicting ideas. The settlements created by the Spanish and English are striking in contrast due to beliefs in religion and methods of economic development. Religion played a significant role in the race for colonization and establishment. For instance, the practices in which the Spanish colonized was heavily influenced by their beliefs in Catholicism. When the Spanish decided to settle north of Mexico into New Mexico, they encountered the Pueblo tribe. In order to claim this land, these colonists decided to claim the natives and force their religion onto them. This method lead to the natives revolting which is infamously known as the Pueblo uprising of 1680. In contrast, the New England colonies were made up of Protestants,
For instance, the New England colonies established healthy relationships with tribes such as the Wampanoag and the Narragansett tribes. These relations helped open up benefits such as diverse trading and new technology; as a matter of fact, these colonies would not have been successful without the native’s techniques on farming. However, the Spanish colonies did not create healthy relationships with the natives, and as a result, there was a lot of conflict. For instance, the Pueblo tribe caused several instances of conflict such as Popé’s Rebellion; however, this rebellion eventually subsided, and the cultures intertwined and created New Mexican