Spain and England have both had their similarities when conquering the New World (the Americas); however it is their differences that capture our attention. Spain and England were big and powerful in Europe through the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Each country had a strong sense of nationalism (self-government), as well as a desire for authority. England had gotten a late start at colonizing due to domestic disputes, but they each had similar goals; power, glory for their nation, and spreading their religion. Both nations had treated the Indians harshly at times and many were killed through diseases (mainly smallpox). In 1492, when Columbus had found the New World, Spain was keen to explore and conquer new lands. Many Spanish conquistadors had travelled by water with the goal of the “Three G’s”: God, gold, and glory. They didn’t encounter many hardships while searching for gold. In 1521, Hernán Cortés conquered the …show more content…
Once they were taught how to grow crops by the Native Americans, the English colonists produced numerous cash crops and had received huge profits. Such crops included tobacco (due to John Rolfe in 1612), rice from the Carolinas, and sugar from the Caribbean. These types of cultivated colonies were never established by the Spanish; they mainly exported valuable metals and slaves. Also, the English tried to keep good relations with the Native Americans; they traded with each other and somewhat improved each other’s way of life. For example, the Native Americans provided the English with food, such as maize, or corn, and the English supplied the Native Americans with weapons. Unlike the Spaniards, who mainly used the Native Americans for labor, the English usually used Africans. The Spanish had not tried to cooperate with the Native Americans, they just wanted everything. The gold from Spanish colonies eventually ruined Spain’s