Colonial America: Spanish and English Settlements

Native Peoples and Early Encounters

Native peoples were generous and kind. They lived in harmony with nature. As part of nature, they accepted newcomers.

Spanish Presence in the Americas

Pre-Columbian Arrivals and Spanish Impact

Before the Spanish arrival, other cultures like the Norse or the Chinese people had reached the Americas. These groups did not settle or conquer the land. If they stayed, they often integrated with the Native peoples, which did not signify a major change. However, Spanish people settled there and fundamentally altered the way of life.

It was not until 1507 that Amerigo Vespucci demonstrated that Europeans had arrived at a new continent.

Bartolomé de las Casas and Native Rights

Bartolomé de las Casas described the Natives as gentle, honest, and innocent. He was highly critical of the Spanish methods, arguing they were not Christian. For him, the sole aim of Spanish conquerors was gold and economic gain. He was a singular voice defending the Natives and advocating for Christian faith.

English Settlements in North America

The Dream of Utopia and Early Attempts

The Borderlands, an area in the Southwest of the USA, are home to Chicanos, who are descendants of the Spanish conquerors who settled there.

The 17th century saw the rise of English settlements. Thomas More's Utopia (1516) discussed a better society without government or classes, advocating for education for everyone. This was based on the idea that society could be perfected. The discovery of America at the same time fueled the dream of American possibilities. The first English colonizers who went to America sought to improve their lives and become wealthier. The first attempt in 1585 was unsuccessful; historians do not know how these colonizers disappeared, as the settlement failed and its inhabitants vanished.

Jamestown: A Mercantilist Venture

Jamestown (1607) in Virginia was the first permanent English settlement. Its leader was John Smith, and the colony's aim was mercantilistic. John Smith wrote an informative letter to England about what was happening, also promoting the enterprise of going there (referencing page 47 of the document):

Although you have to work there, there are more gains here than in England, even though not working in England takes more pains than in the New World. Also, in the New World you take pleasure in the gains because there are no taxes. In the New World, there is freedom and a vast nature around; you can get everything you want. A person needs to be a very poor fisher if he or she doesn't catch one or a hundred fish in a day, fish which could be sold at a good price. They could even just fish for fun. There are many things you can do there apart from fishing.

This was a very utopian description, promoting the idea of the New World. Smith also used it to demonstrate to England that he had done a good job and found the utopian place the English people believed in. This mercantilist settlement focused on:

• Hunting and fishing
• Cultivating corn and tobacco, which were traded to England
• Trade with Native peoples
• A strict daily-work regime: John Smith obligated everyone, including noblemen, to work hard.

Plymouth: A Religious Colony

The second English colony was religiously motivated: Plymouth (1620) in Massachusetts. A group of extreme Puritans, a part of Protestantism not accepted in England, were expelled and went to Holland. From there, they took a ship called the Mayflower to the New World. They sought religious freedom and aimed to create a better society.

In general, religiously-motivated settlements had distinct characteristics:

• They brought women from the start, which made procreation easier and ensured men's needs were met.
• They often came from merchant-class backgrounds, meaning they worked hard from the beginning due to their humble origins.
• They generally maintained fairly good relations between colonists and Native Americans.

The Story of Thanksgiving

The story says that the first Thanksgiving dinner was held in Plymouth in 1621. After a successful hunting day, they decided to have a party, inviting the Wampanoag tribe who lived nearby. The date is completely arbitrary; they eventually chose the fourth Thursday of November.

Expansion and Comparison of Colonies

Growth of the Thirteen Colonies

The settlements developed into thirteen distinct colonies, including New York and Massachusetts. The expansion of the colonies was significantly aided by a huge migration in the 1640s-1650s, as people saw their lives improving.

Spanish vs. English Colonial Approaches

While Spanish colonization often used religious justification, it was also driven by economic motives. English settlements primarily aimed at economic gain and improving lives, though some were religiously motivated. Spanish colonists intermarried more than English colonists, likely because Spanish expeditions included many soldiers and priests, whereas English settlers often brought English women or sought partners from Europe. Spanish colonists were often more violent, as they did not rely on trade or assistance from Native peoples as much as the English. The Puritans, for instance, formed a much more closed community, influenced by the large number of English people who migrated there.

Puritan Society and Beliefs

Foundations of Puritan Settlements

All Puritan settlements were based on religious dissent from the Church of England. Their core beliefs included:

• Puritans believed they were the chosen ones, predestined for salvation by God from the beginning of time.
• They saw themselves as The New Israelites, mirroring the biblical story of the Israelites led by Moses.
• They felt persecuted in England, much like the Israelites long ago.
• They saw their own lives mirrored in the Bible, which provided them examples and moral guidance.
• They believed their Manifest Destiny was to cross the ocean and build a new Utopia. This concept of Manifest Destiny later justified westward expansion.

Covenanted Society and Community Life

The Puritans lived in a Covenanted society, believing in a special agreement between God and humans because God had chosen them. Problems arose when non-Puritans joined the growing communities. (Quakers, for example, were another religious sect.)

Puritans believed that everything that happened was ordained by God. It was impossible to know for certain who was elected and who was not. They justified this by striving to behave as if they were among the elect. They wrote diaries, meticulously documenting their lives and spiritual state.