The Rival Imperial Models of
Spain, France, and Holland
31 August 2010
New Spain:
Colonization & Conversion
• 1st Europeans to explore southern and
western US
• GOLD…battles with Indians…defense of
empire
• St. Augustine (1565) & Santa Fe (1610)
• Franciscan missions: religious conversion,
cultural assimilation, forced labor
New Spain
• Pueblo Revolt (1680)
– Led by Indian shaman Popé
– Killed over 400 Spaniards
– Hoped to restore traditional religion/culture
• Spain successful?
– Maintained empire but failed to convert and
assimilate
New France:
Furs, Souls, & Warfare
• First permanent settlement = Quebec
(1608)
• Vast fur-trading enterprise
• Impact = Indian wars over fur market &
disease (“Beaver wars”)
• Iroquois Confederacy (Five Nations)
control fur trade (NY)
– Most important and powerful Native American
alliance to confront colonists
New France
• French priests (Jesuits) sought converts
• Did not use Indians for forced labor and
won religious converts by addressing
needs of Indians
New Netherland:
Commerce & Conquest
• Dutch republic financial and commercial
hub of northern Europe (1600)
• Colonization strategy: commerce over
religion
• West India Company (chartered by Dutch
govt) founded New Amsterdam (NY)
New Netherland
• Successful?
– West India Company focused on importing
slaves to sugar plantations in Brazil
– Eventually accepted English rule
Comparative Look: Similarities
• New territories for nation, monarch,
personal fortune, Christianity
• Justified takeover in religious and
economic terms
• Traded with natives of Americas
Comparative Look: Differences
• Spanish & Dutch emphasized conquest
(though Dutch came as traders rather than
mercenaries)
• French & Spanish used missions/religion
to colonize and get resources
• Dutch only interested in trade with Indians
• Dutch created much smaller commercially-
based colony