European Colonization of North America

The English, French, and Spanish colonies in North America had distinct characteristics. English colonies were populated by families and religious dissenters, leading to natural population growth and...

England was motivated to establish American colonies primarily for economic reasons and to compete with Spain. The promise of commercial benefits, addressing economic downturns, and gaining riches...

French colonization in the Americas was backed by three main goals, namely shifting the excess population of France to the colonies and giving settlers greater opportunities for success, making...

The English experiences of colonizing Ireland affected their colonization of America by making them see the Native Americans as a threat and as culturally inferior. The English colonial experience of...

The Spanish, English, French and Dutch all had a different methods of colonization in the New World. The Spanish came to conquor and exploit the weath that already existed. They detroyed the large...

Joint-stock companies played a crucial role in European colonization and settlement of North America by pooling resources from multiple investors to fund expeditions and establish colonies. These...

The Dutch were unable to succeed because they tried to recreate feudal manors in their colony of New Netherlands.  This failed because very few people were interested in coming to the New...

The Europeans and the Native Americans had very different views on the concept of land ownership. This is part of the reason why there was some conflict between these two groups. The Native...

The encomienda and mita systems in colonial North America were both forced labor systems that ultimately became forms of enslavement. The mita, originally an Incan system, required men to work for...

France and Britain ruled their colonies differently. France was under autocratic rule and its colonists had to report to the Crown when they went to America. Furthermore, they had to involve the...

All of these nations had at least three things in common during colonization: Christian religion, superior technology, and an economic stimulus, with economics being the most universal factor....

One must always bear in mind that while establishing an empire is one thing, maintaining it is quite another. Essentially, the Spanish overstretched themselves, not just in their overseas colonies,...

The Protestant Reformation led to the creation of a number of splinter groups who became religious minorities in their respective lands. This led to social unrest and turmoil, as many of the...

Spanish colonization in the Americas largely centered on two keys areas: Mexico and Peru. These two modern-day nations and their adjacent areas were dominated by the Aztecs and Incas, respectively,...

Canada’s history has been influenced by the colonization of this land by both France and Great Britain. For many years, France controlled much of the eastern part of Canada.  The headquarters...

Spain and France established colonies in America for the same reasons that England did, namely wealth and prestige. France and Spain established their colonies before England as well. Spain saw the...

The individual thirteen colonies were founded for many different reasons; however, chief among these reasons were commercial interests (money) and religious freedom. The thirteen colonies...

New France was a very large area that would always be sparsely populated. Much of it was in the interior of North America—this would make it very hard to resupply or to defend in the case of...

This statement is not valid.  Geography was a factor, but it was not the primary factor. Geography did help to shape the development of the British colonies.  For example, the relatively...

Hernán Cortés had a major impact on Europe by showing Europeans how to conquer indigenous tribes with relatively few men and amass great riches by stealing their gold and silver. He set an example...

The political, economic, cultural, and social impact of the European settlements in North America were enormous.  From the early 17th Century when English pilgrims arrived in modern-day...

To some, there is no real distinction between a colony and a settlement. To such individuals, both are manifestations of imperialistic practices on the part of a distant government seeking to...

Geography allowed for earlier and deeper exploration of what would become the southern colonies. The first conquistadors who explored the American mainland were able to do so because of the...

Since most of the colonists came from England and since England controlled the colonies, events in England affected the colonies' development. As an example, let us look at the English civil wars...

Having colonies in North America had advantages and disadvantages for Great Britain. One advantage was the British were able to use their colonies to get raw materials for their factories. By...

There were two main benefits for European colonists moving to America. First and foremost it was a place where religious dissidents could practice their faith in peace, free from official...

Primogeniture is not a fair system of inheritance, and it is not meant to be. It is a way to preserve power. In primogeniture, the vast bulk of an estate goes to the oldest son in the family on the...

The primary contribution to the colonies of course was by the British. America not only adopted the English language, but the law in 49 of the 50 states is based on the English Common law. The law...

The European expansion had many effects. In terms of social effects, areas were affected because there was movement of plants and animals between areas. The New World, Africa, and Europe were most...

There is evidence for both sides of this question and it is impossible to objectively quantify the evidence and claim that one set of concerns was clearly more important. Some colonies were clearly...

Peter Minuit was a Dutch colonial governor and a member of the Dutch West Indian Company. He became the third director of the New Netherland Colony. As director, he was tasked with purchasing the...

Probably the most significant development that occurred with respect to the exploration and colonization of the Americas is the destruction of the native cultures that existed on the land. While it...

The legacy of colonialism tends to continue to impact foreign colonies.  It makes it harder for them to develop economically, politically, and socially.  These problems tend to be closely...

The initial policy instituted by the Spanish conquistadores in Mexico was to play Indian peoples against each other in order to conquer the Aztecs, by far the dominant political force in the...

Daily life at the San Gabriel Arcangel Mission involved hard labor for the native Tongva people, who were taught Spanish agricultural techniques and forced to work in fields, process materials, and...

The English took control of the French and Dutch territories in North America by military force or the threat of military force.  They wanted this land largely for economic reasons. When...

The practice of deporting criminals to the colonies was seen as a humane way of dealing with criminal offenses and of saving the victims from the worse forms of punishment traditionally meted out...

The term Manifest Destiny was coined in the mid 1840s by John O’Sullivan, who wrote in an editorial in a New York newspaper that it was ordained by Providence that the United States was to expand...

Britain wanted North America for the same reason that other European powers were busy colonizing as much of the world as they could: resources. Prior to England's move to colonize North America,...

Britain made its claim to America during the Age of Discovery. After the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453, Europeans began to explore distant lands in search of a route to the riches...

The answer to this question depends on what you mean by "America". You could be referring to North America, North and South America, or the United States of America. In the 15th century, England...

Great question! The boundaries of the North American continent extend to the further regions of Canada and southernly into Mexico and Central America. North America contains twenty-four countries...

Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas was the catalyst to centuries of fighting amongst multiple nations over the resource-rich lands. Many countries laid claim to North American lands,...

William Penn envisaged Pennsylvania as a genuine haven of religious tolerance, a "peaceable kingdom." This was an expression of his deeply-held beliefs as a Quaker. To many other settlers, such as...

I will share the positive factors and the negative factors regarding the impact of European colonization and exploration. Then you will be able to decide if the impact was more positive or more...