& 16th 17th Cent ury Europ ean Colonizing Effort s
European N ation
Geog rap hical Range
of Colonies
Widest rang e of
colonization, from the
tip of South America to
the current American
southw est and
throug hout the
Caribb ean Sea .
Emphasis/Focus of
Colonies
Early attempts at
discovering rich Indian
cities d iminished by
1560 as Spa nish soug ht
to d efend their colonies
and pa cify tribes through
Franciscan missiona ry
efforts.
Portugal
Braz il
The Netherla nds
New York, D elawa re,
Caribb ean island s,
Dutch Guiana in South
America.
France
1st p ermanent
settlement a t Queb ec in
1608. Small colonies in
Centra l and South
America a nd the
Caribb ean.
England
British Guia na, C entra l
America, Caribb ean,
and ea st coast of the
present U.S.
Vast w orld empire ta ken
over b y Spains King
Philip II in 1580. R elying
more on ag riculture than
gold-mining, Portug uese
colonial lead ers often
returned home within 10
yea rs.
Focused a lmost
exclusively on
commerce, the D utch
broug ht few settlers
(only 1500 by 1665 in
New N etherland New
York). Suga r a nd sla ve
trad e in Ca ribb ea n a nd
South America
dominated Dutch
interests.
Colony of N ew F rance
(Canada) d evelop ed
slowly w ith only 15,000
resid by ents 1700. Furhunting, rather than
farming, beca me the
chief economic a ctivity.
Jesuit missiona ries
attemp ted to b ring
huma ne trea tment to
India ns.
Early focus: search for
wealth. Most successful
of Europ ea n nations a t
establishing selfsusta ining colonies
follow ing ea rly disa sters
in Virg inia. 17th century
colonial empha sis wa s on
the suga r trad e in the
Caribb ean.
Spain
Of Sp ecial N ote
First established
colonies by
Columbus w ho
broug ht sla very to
the N ew World b y
sending Ind ians to
E ur o p e a nd
importing Africans
to w ork in Spanish
settlements.
Earliest explorers
of the 15th century
were P ortuguese,
but Portuga l w as
the least influential
Europ ean nation in
the N ew World
Because Dutch
Governor
Stuyvesant ruled
arbitra rily, when
English invaded in
1664, resid ents
provid ed little
resistance.
Conta ct with
India ns resulted in
death b y d isea se
(perhap s 90% of
Great La kes region
killed) a nd b y
inter-triba l w ars
caused b y the fur
trad e.
Persona l economic
advancement a nd
relig ious freedom
provid ed the ma in
imp etus to colonial
grow th. P rice
Revolution of 16th
century and crop
failures forced
many p ea sants
and yeoma n
farmers to seek
new lives.