Compare And Contrast The Spanish And The English Colonies

The Americas under the English and the Spanish
The Americas in the mid 17th and 18th century was a hot ground for colonization potentially due to unexplored land. Colonists from all parts of the world wanted to get a taste of what it would be like to be on the American continent. Although different colonists had different motivations for creating a stronghold in America, the two most important powers come to mind: The Spanish and the English. They both had different motivations for colonizing the American continent. The Spanish wanted to gain geographical access and gold while the English wanted to find religious tolerance. Even though their motivation was different, both powers left America in a newer shape than ever before. America was more economically and politically

The economy was diverse and included trading, fishing etc. (Colonization and Settlement 1585-1783). Tobacco was one of the main exports of the English colonies since John Rolfe first successfully planted it before in the mid 1600s. The Virginia Company was a main source of revenue for the English colonies. The British developed a thriving economy in which they made their own food, housing etc. (Mattson). Economically, the American continent was at a good start with the English. However, upheaval soon started. The English lost most of their money in wars with the Americans. Politically speaking, the English also had laws set by the Queen that the Americans had to follow. Even though the English had the same distance between them and their colonies, the English had a much better economy set up that helped with the political aspects as well. The Americans followed the oligarchic laws set up by the Queen (up till the Revolution started) (Mattson). Rarely were there any revolts by the Americans (until the tension began to grew). The English economical and the political systems were better than the Spanish ones and were more