Summary: The Great Colonial Divide

The “Great Colonial Divide” with the 3 prominent colonial powers competing for power and control of the continent. Various methods and strategies are utilized to their advantage. France, for example, prioritized alliances with the natives and endorsed the idea of trading using fur. The Spanish however sought gold and silver and wanted to gain power via religion, therefore the catholic church was a major turning point when it came towards conquest. The English were a mix of both, encouraging trade, agriculture expansion, religious freedom, and settlement expansion. These differences in methods and approaches helps us understand what went into the creation of the new world and how these unique approaches made the Americas diverse and rich with historical significance. Firstly,
Despite this, the natives ended up getting banished from their land rather than getting subjugated. This leads us to a counter opposite in view, which is how the Spanish choose to colonize. Secondly, the Spanish resided in Mexico and Peru. Despite the diseases that wiped out the natives, surviving natives were subjugated to forced labor or killed regardless because the soldiers viewed them as fit for death. The Spanish were viewed as the dominant and aggressive for brutal strategies to gain wealth via gold and silver, however this approach failed to expand settlements because of the constant need for conquest. “Slow growth due to greater emphasis on military conquest, poor relations with Native Americans, and numerous early failures to establish permanent settlements.” This goes to show how the Spanish approach resulted in slower growth in terms of economics and expansion. Although a notable system of the Spanish was the encomienda system. Where a grant would be given from the Spanish Crown to the Spanish Colonizer which will be used to help extract wealth from colonies using unpaid