COMPARING AND CONTRASTING THE SPANISH EXPLORATION FROM THE ENGLISH EXPLORATION

Sean Kazmierski

HIEU 201

6 December 2015

Introduction

Evidence of the earliest travel by European explorers into the ‘new world’ can be traced back to 1000AD. It began with the Vikings sailing from their native land in the British Isles to Greenland where they created a colony. Later, they left Greenland for North America where they saw virgin land with exotic plants, animal species, and indigenous people[1]. The Vikings returned home with stories about the marvels of the places they had visited, but their home authorities lacked the will power or the resources to make a follow-up on these explorations. As a result, European states continued to make commerce across the Mediterranean Sea with North Africa for many years that followed. Research has shown that the methods and motivations of exploration were unique from one state to the other. As Europeans continued their explorations, we will examine the similarities and differences on how the Spanish (1492-1548) and English (1584-1648) conducted their exploration and expansion.

Comparison Between the British and Spanish in North America

The first Spanish to arrive in America was Hernan Cortes in 1519. He did the groundwork for the creation of the Spanish colony. In 1607, Christopher Newport set foot in what would later become Jamestown, laying the foundation of the British Empire in North America. Explorers, such as Christopher Columbus, wanted to go to Asia before they ended up in North America. The Spanish saw the Americas as a good source of resources.

There are several ways in which both the English and Spanish explorers had similar motives and effects.

Negative Perception of the Native Indians

On arrival in North America, most Europeans would say that