Compare and Contrast Spanish and British
Colonization efforts in North America Prior to 1763

In 1492, Christopher Columbus set out of a journey from Spain to what he thought was India. Little did he know that he would be one of the first Europeans in the “New World.” In 1607, on a voyage led by Captain Christopher Newport, the first English colony in America was established in Jamestown, Virginia. In the years until 1763, each country left its mark on the “New World,” establishing new colonies all over what is now the United States. Each country had their own goals and plans for the newly settled land, even so, they also had their similarities.

Spanish colonization in North American began with the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. He landed on an island in the Caribbean, San Salvador. Spain also many settlements in what is now the continental U.S. For example, cites like St. Augustine, Florida, San Antonio, TX, and Sante Fe, New Mexico, were all once Spanish settlements. Spanish settlers came to the North American with the motto, “God, Glory, and Gold.” Most of the settlers were men, primarily conquistadors, soldiers, and missionaries searching for gold and trying to teach Catholicism to the native peoples. Their economy was largely based on trade and on sugar plantations they established. Government wise, the officials were appointed by Spanish royalty, and the colonies were not allowed to create laws of their own.

English colonization in North America began with the settlement of Jamestown Virginia, funded by the Virginia Company of London in 1607. Thirteen years later in 1620, a group called the Pilgrims founded Plymouth, Massachusetts, the first colony in New England. Throughout the years, other groups came and settled into North American until the English empire stretched from Maine to Georgia. Settlers came to the New World for many reasons, some to start new lives, some for religious freedom, and some for the gold and farming opportunities that could be found. The economy mostly consisted of farming, especially tobacco and rice, in the south, and timber and fishing in the north. Originally, the English were very friendly with the native, as well. They relied on the natives for help with trade and survival. The colonies were