Reasons Why Europeans Colonized North America
RELIGIOUS/POLITICAL Reasons
for Colonizing America
ENGLAND
1. Freedom of Religion
2. Protestant Reformation
3. Quakers; Pilgrims
TRADE AND DEPENDENCE upon
Native Americans
1. Traded Food for iron products
2. Relied on them for corn for survival
HARDSHIPS AND FAILURES of
Colonies
ECONOMIC Reasons for Colonizing
America
1. Proprietors (one who is granted ownership of a
colony and given full rights to establish a
government and distribute land – to hold
something as property.)
2. farm – tobacco
3. Search for riches
4. New life – escape prison or death
5. To own land
6. Social status was tied to wealth
7. Italy had a monopoly on trade w/Asia & Africa
8. Looking for a new trade route to Asia/West
Indies to get goods such as spices, gold, ivory,
slaves, and silk
9. Looking for the Northwest Passage
10. New Technological advancements &
equipment made it easier
11. Europe faced famine, war and disease and
hoped for a better life
1. Jamestown – some colonists were lazy and
did not want to work to prepare shelter and
food before the winter
2. Mosquitoes carrying diseases
3. Poor land and water conditions
4. Starvation
5. Indentured servants died on the way to
America
CONFLICTS with Native Americans
and other Europeans
1. Took food by force from Powhatan
2. French and Indian War (fight French and
Native Americans)
3. Conflict w/ Native Americans over food and
land
4. Wars w/ French and Spanish over territory
Reasons for SUCCESS of Colonies
1. The English sent people to actually colonize
the settlements – people went there to live
and start a new life, not just to send raw
materials home
2. Sent both men, women, and families.
3. People were given the freedom to leave
England and practice own religion in
colonies (unlike the French and the Spanish)
Overall TREATMENT OF NATIVE
AMERICANS
1. Some were kind and traded with the Native
Americans
2. Eventually, land was taken away from them
for colonists
3. They also used Native Americans to support
them in their wars with the English
SPAIN
TRADE AND DEPENDENCE upon
Native Americans
1. Dependence on slaves for food and labor
Encomienda system
2. Traded for food
HARDSHIPS AND FAILURES of
Colonies
ECONOMIC Reasons for Colonizing
America
1. ​To find gold
2. Just finished war (kicked out the Muslims) and could
use money
3. Social status was tied to wealth
4. Italy had a monopoly on trade w/Asia & Africa
5. Looking for a new trade route to Asia/West Indies to
get goods such as spices, gold, ivory, slaves, and silk
6. New Technological advancements & equipment made
it easier
7. Europe faced famine, war and disease and hoped for a
better life
1. Empire was too big to manage
2. Disease/mosquitoes spread
3. Native American – died from disease and the
Encomienda System failed – made illegal
because of slavery by the crown.
4. Did not allow non-Catholics to leave Spain to
colonizes New World and practice own
religion freely for fear that they would spread
their religions.
5. Too much gold and silver leads to inflation in
Spain.
CONFLICTS with Native Americans
and other Europeans
1. King Philip II wanted to push Queen of
England
and the Protestants out of England.
2. Spanish Armada and English Sea Dogs clash
3. Enslavement and harsh treatment of Native
Americans - many tried to fight back and were
stripped of their cultures and religions and
forced to work and become Christians
4. French and English attack Spanish Treasure
ships returning to Spain
5. Wars with the French and English over
territory.
Reasons for SUCCESS of Colonies
1. Encomienda System – Spanish rewarded for
returning to Spain from New World w/
treasure, food, things gained from labor of
Native Americans. (Found gold)
Overall TREATMENT OF NATIVE
AMERICANS
RELIGIOUS/POLITICAL Reasons for
Colonizing America
1. Convert Native Americans to Christianity and
set up missions to spread Catholicism
2. Opposed the Huguenots for religious reasons
and drove them out of their settlements.
3. Had fought a war with the Moors and kicked
them out of Spain for spreading Islam.
1. Encomienda System – relied on the Native
Americans to work, produce food in exchange
for converting to Christianity, teaching them
skills and offering protection. It was
essentially slavery. Harsh treatment, spread
disease, used them up and replaced with
African American slaves until this became
illegal too.
2. Bartolome de Las Casas
FRANCE
TRADE AND DEPENDENCE upon
Native Americans
1. Fur trading; needed food
2. exchanged tools, jewelry, and cloth for fur
HARDSHIPS AND FAILURES of
Colonies
ECONOMIC Reasons for Colonizing
America
1. Fur Trade – beaver pelts worth $ in France;
Social status was tied to wealth
2. Italy had a monopoly on trade w/Asia & Africa
3. Looking for a new trade route to Asia/West
Indies to get goods such as spices, gold, ivory,
slaves, and silk
4. Looking for the Northwest Passage
5. New Technological advancements & equipment
made it easier
6. Europe faced famine, war and disease and hoped
for a better life
RELIGIOUS/POLITICAL Reasons for
Colonizing America
1. Religious Wars
2. Against Protestants (Huguenots) spreading
religious beliefs in New World. They tried to
keep them from going to New World.
1. War back at home w/ England
2. French and Indian Wars (France couldn’t
support or afford two wars – one in America
one in Europe.)
3. Did not allow Huguenots to leave France for
fear they would spread their religion. So
colonies don’t grow.
4. Many colonist couldn’t tolerate the cold
weather.
CONFLICTS with Native Americans
and other Europeans
1. French and Indian War (some Native
Americans sided w/the French and some
sided w/ the English)
2. Wars with English and Spanish over Territory
Reasons for SUCCESS of Colonies
1. Treated Indians better than the English and
Spanish, but used them for Beaver pelts and
changed the Indians’ use of nature and need
for hunting.
2. French were not here to take the land from
the Native Americans came here more for
trade.
Overall TREATMENT OF NATIVE
AMERICANS
1. Treatment of Native Americans was better
than that of the English/Spanish.
2. Used the Native Americans to support them
in their wars with the English