Differences Among European Colonies

Purpose of colonies, economic motivation, and relations with Natives

Spanish

Purpose: set up labor system for mining ore, develop group of converts for the Catholic Church, rural poor emigrated to New World

Economic: silver & gold

Native Relations: gave them great autonomy as long as natives performed assigned taks and converted to Catholicism

Dutch

Purpose: trade depots, satisfied at home so few colonizers wanted to go

Economic: use Natives to obtain tradable commodities (furs, corn)

Native Relations: treated allies well by equipping them with weapons and traded what Natives wanted

French

Purpose: set up series of forts to be used as fur centers and provide shelter for Native allies, French Protestants came to New World for safety but few were allowed to emigrate from home, Catholic priests came to convert Natives’ souls

Economic: Fur

Natives Relations: tried to befriend all Natives but got involved in inter-tribal warfare

English

Purpose: Initially to find gold and source of Northwest Passage to Asia, eventually used as outlet to remove English discontent/powerless

Economic: commodity development (rice, tobacco, lumber, oats, sugar in Caribbean)

Native relations: bad, used divide and conquer method until colony no longer needed particular neighbors used to divide and conquer