European Exploration in North America: Spain, France, and England

Question

There were many different, complex reasons the Europeans desired to explore, settle, and
conquer North America. The Spanish, English, and French were all eager to expand and explore their
kingdoms. There was a tremendous level of competition between these three countries for economic
and political control and dominance. These were some of the most influential and powerful countries
in the world at the time.

The Spanish exploration of North America began with Christopher Columbus. He created an
era of tremendous global exploration for Spain that focused on building wealth and power. The
mission of Spain is commonly referred to as “The Three G’s”. They were God, gold, and glory. The
Spanish often treated the Native Americans poorly, violently, and with no respect. Hernando De Soto
was a ruthless, violent, mean Spanish explorer. They would capture the Native Americans or have
violent conflicts with them. The Spanish had stronger weapons than the Native Americans. They also
had a large supply of horses and fierce attack dogs. Because of the Spanish, many Native Americans
were suspicious of European explorers after this period. At first, Spain did not want permanent
colonies in other parts of the world. Their main focus was locating and collecting valuable gold. The
first major Spanish colony was built in St. Augustine, Florida at Castillo de San Marcos. Many religious
missions would come after and spread throughout the southeastern United States. These missions
often spread terrible illnesses that would take out entire populations of the Native Americans. While
the purpose of the missions was to convert Native Americans to Christianity, they also wanted the
Native Americans to change their culture to match that of Spain.

France wanted to settle in North American for economic reasons and religious freedom. They
also wanted a strategic military position on the Atlantic Coast where they could attack Spanish ships.
They believed that they could establish a profitable fur trade in Louisiana, the Ohio valley, and various
parts of modern-day Canada. Jean Ribault attempted to explore the southeastern United states with
three ships and one hundred fifty people. They ended up settling in South Carolina. After returning to
France for supplies, Jean Ribault was unexpectedly imprisoned when he asked England for
assistance. He was put in prison because of other political issues related to another war in Europe.
The colonists quickly returned to France after hearing this news and not having any supplies or aid.

The French would eventually return to North America to try exploring and settling again. They
explored and claimed the territories of the Great Lakes Region, Ohio River Valley, The Mississippi River
Valley and Louisiana. The French understood that they needed to maintain and build strong, peaceful
relationships with the Native Americans for the fur trade to be successful and profitable. The French
did not try to enforce French laws or the French culture on them. The French made efforts to
understand their cultures and to work together to make settling these areas successful.

England was faced with the requirement to expand its land and territories under control.
England needed to expand and grow for many different reasons. The cities were seeing increases in
population and food was becoming limited. The countryside and farms could not produce enough food
to sustain the growth in the population. There were also issues with oppression and the politics and
beliefs of the Church of England. England wanted to acquire new territories, seek economic growth and
religious freedom. They wanted to make permanent and profitable colonies in new territories of the
world. The colonies in North America focused on a mercantilism economy. In a mercantilist economy,
the country attempts to export more than they import for financial gain. England wanted the colonies
to provide the raw resources that could be made into goods in England, then sold back to the colonies
for a profit.
It was not difficult, initially, to convince people in England to move to the new colonies because
of the issues they were facing in England. People were struggling with limited land to farm and food
was becoming scarce. They believed that farming would be easier in North America, as well as more
secure and potentially profitable. They also thought that they could get wealthy off growing crops like
tobacco in the southern colonies. The majority of people moved from England to the colonies, initially,
for religious freedom from the politics of the Church of England. They wanted somewhere that they
would be free to worship however they chose. The first English colony was in Jamestown, Virginia, but
other various colonies would grow from this one colony. England pushed the colonies to grow rice,
tobacco, and indigo for export back to England. The English colonists had complex relationships with
the Native Americans. Although they fought over territory in the beginning, they soon developed a
relationship of cooperation. They traded goods and ideas and strengthened each other’s communities. Why did the author write this text?
Responses

The author wanted to compare and contrast the different reasons various
European countries colonized North America.
The author wanted to compare and contrast the different reasons various European countries colonized North America.

The author wanted to focus on the poor treatment of the Native Americans.
The author wanted to focus on the poor treatment of the Native Americans.

The author wanted to persuade you to believe that the French had the best
plan and tactics for colonizing.
The author wanted to persuade you to believe that the French had the best plan and tactics for colonizing.

The author wanted to inform you about the benefits of mercantilism.

Answer 1

The primary reason the author wrote this text is to compare and contrast the different reasons various European countries colonized North America. The text presents the motivations and approaches of Spain, France, and England in their exploration and settlement of North America, highlighting their economic, political, and social factors while also touching on their interactions and relationships with Native Americans.