Colonial Encounters In Colonial America

Spain began to colonize what would become the United States in 1492, and Britain in 1607. Spain first started colonizing Puerto Rico, Florida, and the U.S. Virgin Islands with the intent of having them become “New Spain”, followed by present-day Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. However, Britain’s colonization was centered in Virginia and Massachusetts, where Jamestown and Plymouth were established. What characterized these early encounters between Europeans and Indigenous Americans? This essay answers this question, compares and contrasts the similarities and differences between these encounters in New Spain and British America, and provides commentary on how the colonial era continues to affect