Compare and contrast Spanish and British colonization efforts in North America prior to 1763.

Prior to 1763, both Spanish and British colonization efforts expanded into various regions of North America. In less than a century, from 1625 to 1700, the movements of peoples and goods from Europe to North America transformed the continent. Native Americans either resisted or accommodated the newcomers depending on the region of the colony. Though the English colonies were by far the most populous, within the English colonies, four distinct regions emerged. While planters or merchants grew in power in each English colony, Spanish colonists, with far fewer colonists, depended more on friendly relations with Native Americans to secure their …show more content…

Both colonies remained small and weak through the seventeenth century. With few settlers however, they needed ties with friendly Native Americans in order to obtain land, labor, and security. But Spanish policies made friendly relations hard to come by in both colonies. The English however were far more self-ruling and therefore continued to expand. English expansion threatened Florida, while the French establishment of Louisiana defied Spain’s hope of one day linking that colony with New Mexico. Like the Spanish, the English also had difficulties with the French in the north which eventually led to the Seven Years’ War in 1756. And although the Spanish and English encountered the similar situations when colonizing North America, the English were far more successful because of their population advantage. Lastly, the British were more successful in colonizing North America prior to 1763 than the Spanish because of their differences in political jurisdiction. As the Spanish governed their colonies from Spain, communication with the colonies was never fully effective and often colonists weren’t cooperative with the king’s ruling. As the Spanish obtained profit from their colonies and then used their profits to then rule their colonies, the colonies were limited and couldn’t expand to their full potentials. The English colonies, on the other hand,