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Chap 2 essay



                                                                                                                      MeghanWildner
8-17-04   
                 2nd AP US History

#2. In what ways did the English colonies develop differently from the Spanish and the French colonies?

     The defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588 gave birth to England becoming the Mistress of the Seas, otherwise Spain would have kept control of the New World.  During this Age of Exploration, the European countries of England, Spain and France, developed colonies in the New World. The developmental difference of the English colonies varied from the Spanish and French due to different social structures, economic systems, and religious beliefs. All three countries sought wealth in the New World. The Spanish found quantities of gold, the French traded with the Native Americans for furs, but the English, more so than wealth, found freedom from religious persecution as well as raw materials such as tobacco and sugar. The majority of the early English colonists sought freedom from religious persecution.  Since their reasons for coming to the New World were different from the Spanish and French, the English colonists developed differently.

  1. Unlike the Spanish and the French, the religion of the English impacted their social structures.  In order to follow the ways of the Bible the English that fled for religious freedom, were literate and educated their children as well.
    1. Spanish-
a. exploited the Natives
      b. initially male colonists only
      c. intermarriage with Natives
    1. French-
a. kept good relations with the Natives,
     b. initially male colonists only
     c. intermarriage with Natives
     d. formed trading posts instead of towns
    1. English-
a.  assisted by the Natives- intermarriage rare and didn’t enslave them
      b. settled as families
      c.  formed towns
      d. established their own self-government- Mayflower Compact, House
                         of Burgesses, only churched free adult males allowed to
                         vote, therefore politics influenced by church leaders
      e. schooled their children- Bible textbook
B.  All the mother countries benefited economically from the colonies, but the English established mercantilism with valuable raw materials found in the New World.
1.       Spanish-
a.       found large quantities of precious metals
b.       free labor from the Natives (exploitation)
2.       French-
a.       traded for fur with Native Americans
3.       English-
a.       didn’t find gold,
b.       had bountiful supply of raw materials- tobacco and sugar-> mercantilism
C.  Spurred by John Calvin and the English Reformation, it was the religion of the English colonies, which marked the most significant difference from the Spanish and French, because their goal was not to proselytize the Natives, but to have religious freedom themselves.
1.       Spanish-
a.       Catholic
b.       not fleeing religious persecution
            c.   unlike English they tried to convert the Natives
2.       French- ditto
a.       Catholic- French King would only allow Catholics to settle
-          the Huguenots (French Protestants) fled to
      the English Colonies
3.       English-
a.       majority Protestant, the Puritans hated Catholicism and
         wanted the Church of England to be purged of all Catholic rituals
                            b.   came to New World for freedom of religious persecution
          from Church of England
c.        didn’t try to convert the Natives
     Since their reasons for coming to the New World were different from the Spanish and French, the English colonists developed differently. During the Age of Discovery these three leading European powers came to the New World in search of wealth. Each country’s colony benefited the mother country in a different way. Religion was the significant factor that caused the developmental difference of the English colonies from the Spanish and French. All three countries developed colonies with different social structures, economic systems, and religious beliefs, however the development of the English colonies deviated greatly from the Spanish and French.


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