Spain and France in the New
World
Who was here besides the British?
Spanish Colonization
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Came for gold
Known as Conquistadors
Cortes = important conquistador
Went to conquer Aztecs
– 600 soldiers
– 17 horses
– Dogs
– Cannons
Aztecs/Cortes
• Montezuma was convinced Cortes was a god
• Aztec city didn’t seem like it could be invaded
= very advanced
• Aztecs rebelled against Montezuma and
stoned him to death
• Cortes eventually retook the city
• Forced Aztecs to mine gold and silver
• Disease-ridden
New Spain
• Capital – Mexico City
• Very large empire
• Extended from Florida Keys to Alaska and
included areas like the Deep South and lower
Midwest
• This later included New Mexico
Settlers
• Most men
• Known as peninsulares
• Marriage between peninsulares and Natives
common = mestizo
Encomienda
• Favored officers became privileged
landowners who controlled NA villages
• Exploited Natives
• Labor system – NA farmed, ranched, mined
• 1542 – Spanish monarchy abolished
encomienda and began to use African slaves
French and NA
• Relied on Hurons, Ottawas, Ojibwas, and
others
• Military alliances
French Colonization
• First came in 1524 – but didn’t set up any
permanent settlements
Missionaries
• Catholic Missionaries dominant throughout
Spanish empire in Americas
• Wanted to convert NA
• Determined to rid “heathen” people of native
religion
• Tried to impose Spanish culture on them
• Burned objects sacred to NA
Juan Ponce de Leon
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Discovered Florida in 1513
Wanted to find “fountain of youth”
Instead found alligators or swamp
Abandoned further exploration of FL in 1562
Pope (with an accent on e) Rebellion
• 1680 – NA Pope organized rebellion
• Spaniards had accused Pope of practicing
witchcraft
• Spanish driven out of New Mexico
• 400 Europeans killed
• NA burned Churches, executed priests, destroyed
relics of Christianity
• 14 years and 4 military assaults for Spaniards to
subdue region
Jacques Cartier
• Explored gulf of St. Lawrence and ventured up
St. Lawrence River to Montreal
• Near Quebec – settled short-lived colony in
1541
Samuel de Champlain
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1600s
Established Acadia (Nova Scotia) and Quebec
Fur traders negotiated with NA
French Jesuit missionaris
Louis Jolliet and Piere Jacques
Marquette
• Explored Mississippi River
• 1673
Robert Cavalier
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1700s – New Orleans
Came to control Canada and Mississippi River
Sparsely populated
Roman Catholic
English vs. French
• English colonists outnumbered French 1.5
million to 80,000
• Established trading outposts rather than farms
• Many French married NA
• Didn’t have initial hostility with NA like many
English