The Spanish crown wanted a buffer between the French in Louisiana and central Mexico. The last corridor of expansion was in the west, through the sea, which led to the establishment of San Diego in 1769 and Los Angles in 1781.
Full Answer
How did the Spanish colonize the Americas?
The Spanish colonization of the Americas began under the Crown of Castile, and was spearheaded by the Spanish conquistadors. The Americas were invaded and incorporated into the Spanish Empire, with the exception of Brazil, British America, and some small regions in South America and the Caribbean.
How did the Spanish Empire expand?
Beginning with the 1492 arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Caribbean and continuing control of vast territory for over three centuries, the Spanish Empire would expand across the Caribbean Islands, half of South America, most of Central America and much of North America (including present day Mexico, Florida and the Southwestern and Pacific ...
How did the Spanish conquests of Mexico affect the indigenous populations?
The Spanish conquest of Yucatán, the Spanish conquest of Guatemala, the war of Mexico's west, and the Chichimeca War in northern Mexico expanded Spanish control over territory and indigenous populations.
What is the legacy of the Spanish conquests of America?
Their legacy is firmly a part of our national story and patrimony, and it highlights the common heritage the United States shares with Spain, Mexico and Latin America. Spain was not alone in missionary enterprises throughout the New World.
Why did the Spanish Crown want to explore the West?
In 1492, the joint rulers conquered the Moorish kingdom of Granada, which had been providing Castile with African goods through tribute, and decided to fund Christopher Columbus's expedition in the hope of bypassing Portugal's monopoly on west African sea routes, to reach “the Indies” (east and south Asia) by traveling ...
When did the Spanish establish settlements in the West?
In 1493, during his second voyage, Columbus founded Isabela, the first permanent Spanish settlement in the New World, on Hispaniola.
What was the main reason Spanish established settlements in the New World?
Motivations for colonization: Spain's colonization goals were to extract gold and silver from the Americas, to stimulate the Spanish economy and make Spain a more powerful country. Spain also aimed to convert Native Americans to Christianity.
What settlements did the Spanish build?
In southern Central and South America, settlements were founded in Panama (1519); León, Nicaragua (1524); Cartagena (1532); Piura (1532); Quito (1534); Trujillo (1535); Cali (1537) Bogotá (1538); Quito (1534); Cuzco 1534); Lima (1535); Tunja, (1539); Huamanga 1539; Arequipa (1540); Santiago de Chile (1544) and ...
What was the impact of Spain's settlement in the Americas?
The impact of Spain's settlement in the Americas was to convert all American Native Indians to Catholic.
What were two motives that encouraged Spain to establish colonies in the Americas?
Answer and Explanation: Two motives that encouraged Spain to establish colonies in the Americas were the finding of gold and the spread of Catholic missionaries in the Western Hemisphere.
What were the 3 reasons why the Spanish came to the New World?
Motives. Spain encouraged settlements in the New World to strengthen her claims to territory; to secure gold, silver, and valuable agricultural produce, such as sugar and indigo (a blue dye); and to convert the Indians to Catholicism. ... Extent. ... Life in the Spanish Colonies.Decline of the Spanish Empire.
What three reasons explain Spain's success in building an empire in the Americas?
It killed many of them and made them easier to control. Second, Spain had much better training as soldiers, had better weapons, and better technology for the time than the Native Americans. Third, Spain was able to enlist the help of some of the nearby Native American groups to help them conquer the Azecs and Incas.
What were three motives that encouraged Spain to explore the Americas?
Historians generally recognize three motives for European exploration and colonization in the New World: God, gold, and glory.
Where did the Spanish settle in the United States?
Even before Jamestown or the Plymouth Colony, the oldest permanent European settlement in what is now the United States was founded in September 1565 by a Spanish soldier named Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in St. Augustine, Florida.
What was the Spanish Empire known for?
One of the largest empires in history, it was, in conjunction with the Portuguese, the first to usher the European Age of Discovery and achieve a global scale, controlling vast portions of the Americas, the archipelago of Philippines, various islands in the Pacific and territories in Western Europe and Africa.
How did Spanish exploration change the lives of people in the Americas?
Europeans carried a hidden enemy to the Indians: new diseases. Native peoples of America had no immunity to the diseases that European explorers and colonists brought with them. Diseases such as smallpox, influenza, measles, and even chicken pox proved deadly to American Indians.
When did the Spanish discover America?
August 3, 1492On August 3, 1492, Columbus and his crew set sail from Spain in three ships: the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. On October 12, the ships made landfall—not in the East Indies, as Columbus assumed, but on one of the Bahamian islands, likely San Salvador.
When did Spain colonize North America?
The invasion of the North American continent and its peoples began with the Spanish in 1565 at St. Augustine, Florida, then British in 1587 when the Plymouth Company established a settlement that they dubbed Roanoke in present-day Virginia.
What was happening in Spain in the 1700s?
The War of the Spanish Succession was fought between proponents of a Bourbon prince, Philip of Anjou, and an Austrian Hapsburg claimant....History of Spain (1700–1808)Kingdom of Spain Reino de España• Death of Charles II1 November 1700• Spanish War of Succession1700–1715• War of the Austrian Succession1740–1748• Seven Years' War1756–176323 more rows
Where did the Spanish settle in the United States?
Even before Jamestown or the Plymouth Colony, the oldest permanent European settlement in what is now the United States was founded in September 1565 by a Spanish soldier named Pedro Menéndez de Avilés in St. Augustine, Florida.
How did the Spanish get rich?
The Spaniards soon found that land in the Southwest offered few mineral resources, and the only way to get rich was to use the Pueblo as forced labor for tasks that included herding, farmwork, blacksmithing (shaping iron), silver crafting, and domestic chores. Spanish-Native American relations were thus based on exploitation (using another person for selfish purposes). Over time, the Pueblo came to resent the Spaniards, who profoundly disturbed the ecology (pattern of relations between living things and their environment) in New Mexico. For instance, they brought cattle and sheep that consumed large amounts of prairie grasses. Spanish baking ovens greatly increased the need for firewood, depleting local supplies. To expand the existing network of irrigation (watering system) canals, the Spanish had to rely even more heavily on forced labor. When the Acoma Pueblo finally refused to submit to the intruders, the Spanish killed or enslaved hundreds of Native Americans.
Who was the king of Spain when Columbus set sail?
On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Cádiz, Spain, with three ships—the Santa Maria (with Columbus as captain), the Niña, and the Pinta. At first the expedition made rapid progress.
Why did Columbus not sell his idea to the king of Portugal?
For several years Columbus failed to sell his idea to the king of Portugal, primarily because Portuguese explorer Bartholomeu Dias (c. 1450–1500) had found a sea passage from Europe to India, which was considered the best route at the time. Undaunted, Columbus decided to try his luck in Spain.
What did Columbus do to help Ferdinand and Isabella?
Columbus had no difficulty persuading Ferdinand and Isabella to sponsor a second voyage. When the expedition reached La Navidad in November 1493, however, they found the settlement in ruins. Either the Native Americans had turned against the Europeans or the Spaniards had fought among themselves—no one had survived to tell what had happened. Columbus decided to move 75 miles east, where he started building a settlement called Isabela. He immediately sent a party of men in search of gold while he explored the nearby islands.
Why did Columbus turn mutinous?
At first the expedition made rapid progress. By October 10, however, the crew had turned mutinous (rebellious) because they had not come in sight of land. Luckily for Columbus, two days later they reached a small island in the present-day Bahamas (a group of islands south of Florida).
What was the name of the island that Jesus founded?
On December 25, 1492, he founded the first European settlement in the Americas on an island he named Hispaniola . Called La Navidad ("the birth"; in commemoration of being founded on Christmas Day, or the birthday of Jesus), it stood on the site of present-day Limonade-Bordde-Mer, Haiti.
How did Europeans get to the Far East?
At that time, the only way for Europeans to reach the Far East was to sail south along the west coast of Africa and then east into the Indian Ocean. The most direct route was through the Mediterranean Sea, but the eastern end of that waterway was controlled by Turkey, a Muslim foe of the Europeans.
What is the significance of Spanish colonial missions?
The Significance of Spanish Colonial Missions in our National Story and our Common Heritage with Spain, Mexico and Latin America. Living history reenactors dressed in 16th-century period clothing are a highlight of the annual Cabrillo Festival.
Where were Spanish arms needed?
In most cases, Spanish arms were necessary for the mission program to succeed, especially in northern New Spain, today's Greater Southwest and northern Mexico. Tierra de guerra (Land of War) were noted on Spanish maps as Apachería, Comanchería, Centro de Navajo, Tierra de los Yutas, and others. Where possible, presidios (forts) were constructed near settlements and missions. In 1772, Friar Romualdo Cartagena, guardian of the College of Santa Cruz de Querétaro, one of the training centers for missionaries, wrote;
What were the missions of Spain?
Throughout the colonial period, the missions Spain established would serve several objectives. The first would be to convert natives to Christianity . The second would be to pacify the areas for colonial purposes . A third objective was to acculturate the natives to Spanish cultural norms so that they could move from mission status to parish status as full members of the congregation. Mission status made participating natives wards of the State instead of citizens of the empire. Aside from spiritual conquest through religious conversion, Spain hoped to pacify areas that held extractable natural resources such as iron, tin, copper, salt, silver, gold, hardwoods, tar and other such resources, which could then be exploited by investors. The missionaries hoped to create a utopian society in the wilderness.
What was the Patronage of the Indies?
To assure that the missionaries would be able to sustain themselves, the king of Spain established the Patronato Real de las Indias (Royal Patronage of the Indies) which supported the Spanish Crown's absolute control over ecclesiastical matters within the empire. The Spanish king and his council approved missionaries to go to the Americas, directed the geographic location of missions and allocated funds for each projected enterprise. Under the Patronato Real, which also governed appointments of Church officials to high office, some viceroys in Mexico and Peru were also archbishops, further cementing the Church-State alliance in a common cause. The missions served as agencies of the Church and State to spread the faith to natives and also to pacify them for the State's aims. By intermingling religion, politics and economics, the Patronato Real formed a large archival record of exploration, settlement, missionary activity, ethnographic data, and extraction of raw resources.
Why are Spanish missions important?
Spanish colonial missions in North America are significant because so many were established and they had lasting effects on the cultural landscape. Their legacy is firmly a part of our national story and patrimony, and it highlights the common heritage the United States shares with Spain, Mexico and Latin America.
Why did the scheduled plan of conversion not work well?
The scheduled plan of conversion did not work well due to Indian resistance to the rigors of the missions. In the long run, arguing that the natives were imperfectly converted because they reverted to their spiritual ways in secret, friars proposed that missions be extended another decade.
What resources did Spain want to pacify?
Aside from spiritual conquest through religious conversion, Spain hoped to pacify areas that held extractable natural resources such as iron, tin, copper, salt, silver, gold, hardwoods, tar and other such resources, which could then be exploited by investors.
How did the United States induced the settlement by white people of the vast tracts of land stolen from the Indians?
It was one of the primary legal instruments, along with highly subsidized land and subsidies for the railroads, by which the United States induced the settlement by white people of the vast tracts of land stolen from the Indians. Giving white people a piece of land as long as they cultivated it for five years was the incentive for them to move out to Indiana , Illinois , Ohio , North and South Dakota, and points west , and start farming , which is what a lot of immigrants had been doing in the old country anyway. This was combined with free or very cheap land for highly subsidized railroads so that
How much land did the East Coast people claim?
So people left the crowded cities of the East Coast and went out West. Then, they claimed up to 160 acres of land. Now that they'd claimed it, the paid a low-priced amount and began farming or developing the land. It was basically free land in exch...
How did the Homestead Act help the US?
By the late 1860s, the Civil War had ended and the US began focusing upon economic growth. In Europe, half dozen wars were being fought, prompting affected populations to emigrate to the US. The US wanted to promote settlement. The government had millions of square miles that they wanted settled and 160 acres was a huge incentive for people willing to work land and create home for families. The Homestead Act was very successful at promoting emigration and western settlement. Within 30 years of the Act's passage, the frontier ceased to exist. In summation, the act was passed to promote settlement of lands government deemed vacant. The fact that most of this vacant land had native occupants was ignored. Natives were resettled to reservations (less desirable lands) and dispossessed of the ancestral lands. Very few natives applied for Homestead Patents.
What was the only land claim admissible under the Homestead Act?
With the Homestead Act, the only land claims admissible were those from the government
What was the purpose of the Homestead Act?
The purpose behind the Homestead Act was to convince settlers to move West. What it did was offer massive amounts of land at a very cheap price. The only catch was that if inspected, you had to prove that you were improving and maintained your land.
How many acres were dispersed by the General Land Office between 1862 and 1904?
Modifications by Congress only compounded the problem. Most of the land went to speculators, cattlemen, miners, lumbermen, and railroads. Of some 500 million acres dispersed by the General Land Office between 1862 and 1904, only 80 million acres went to homesteaders.
How long did it take to get title to a land in the Civil War?
Claimants were required to “improve” the plot by building a dwelling and cultivating the land. After 5 years on the land, the original filer was entitled to the property, free and clear, except for a small registration fee. Title could also be acquired after only a 6-month residency and trivial improvements, provided the claimant paid the government $1.25 per acre. After the Civil War, Union soldiers could deduct the time they had served from the residency requirements.”
Who conquered California?
California was conquered by the Spanish imperial army in the late 1700s and early 1800s, just before Mexican independence from Spain. The Franciscan order created a whole series of missions from San DIego to the Bay Area. A number of Spanish names of towns and physical land features date from that era, but even more from the Mexican era. The same local land owners (mostly of Spanish or mixed Spanish and African or mixed Spanish and Indian ancestry) were in control under Mexican rule, which of course also used the Spanish language.
Where can you see remnants of Spanish missions?
And you can see the remnants of these missions from the Spanish period all over California…
Why did the civil authorities take advantage of the missions?
The civil authorities took advantage of the missions to build nearby a presidio, to strength the military position in the region and a pueblo to live. That system of retaining the natives in reductions was not well received by the Indians, used to a more nomadic and free life.
What tribes settled Santa Fe?
They were so impressed that they moved away, becoming the Zuni and Hopi tribes. So returning Spaniards settled the deserted land.
Why were the missions used?
The missions were religious settlements used to teach Catholicism and Spanish culture to the natives, the towns were settlements both for natives and Spaniards and the encampments were for Spanish soldiers to defend the land. With these 3 type of settelments was how the Spanish Empire colonised the new lands, turning natives into Hispanics, settling and mixing with the natives and defending the land. The scarce Spanish population yet in California meant that there were plenty of missions, to make the natives Hispanics.
What were the two attractions of California?
There were at least two attractions to California - religious & comercial/stratrgic — which the Spanish found compelling:
Was California received in Spain?
Nothing was received in Spain from California or the missions there. It was important to the Franciscan order province of New Spain (Mexico), the religious order founding them, and to a lesser degree to the Franciscan order itself in Spain where the province of New Spain was a party.
Overview
Spain began colonizing the Americas under the Crown of Castile and was spearheaded by the Spanish conquistadors. The Americas were invaded and incorporated into the Spanish Empire, with the exception of Brazil, British America, and some small regions of South America and the Caribbean. The crown created civil and religious structures to administer the vast territory. The main motivati…
Imperial expansion
The expansion of Spain’s territory took place under the Catholic Monarchs Isabella of Castile, Queen of Castile and her husband King Ferdinand, King of Aragon, whose marriage marked the beginning of Spanish power beyond the Iberian peninsula. They pursued a policy of joint rule of their kingdoms and created the initial stage of a single Spanish monarchy, completed under the eig…
Civil governance
The empire in the Indies was a newly established dependency of the kingdom of Castile alone, so crown power was not impeded by any existing cortes (i.e. parliament), administrative or ecclesiastical institution, or seigneurial group. The crown sought to establish and maintain control over its overseas possessions through a complex, hierarchical bureaucracy, which in many ways was decentr…
Catholic Church organization
During the early colonial period, the crown authorized friars of Catholic religious orders (Franciscans, Dominicans, and Augustinians) to function as priests during the conversion of indigenous populations. During the early Age of Discovery, the diocesan clergy in Spain was poorly educated and considered of a low moral standing, and the Catholic Monarchs were reluctant to allow them to spearhea…
Society
It has been estimated that over 1.86 million Spaniards emigrated to Latin America in the period between 1492 and 1824, with millions more continuing to immigrate following independence.
Native populations declined significantly during the period of Spanish expansion. In Hispaniola, the indigenous Taíno pre-contact population before t…
Economy
In areas of dense, stratified indigenous populations, especially Mesoamerica and the Andean region, Spanish conquerors awarded perpetual private grants of labor and tribute to particular indigenous settlements, in encomienda they were in a privileged position to accumulate private wealth. Spaniards had some knowledge of the existing indigenous practices of labor and tribute, so that lea…
19th century
During the Napoleonic Peninsular War in Europe between France and Spain, assemblies called juntas were established to rule in the name of Ferdinand VII of Spain. The Libertadores (Spanish and Portuguese for "Liberators") were the principal leaders of the Spanish American wars of independence. They were predominantly criollos (Americas-born people of European ancestry, mostly Spanish or Portuguese), bourgeois and influenced by liberalism and in some cases with mi…
In popular culture
In the twentieth century, there have been a number of films depicting the life of Christopher Columbus. One in 1949 stars Frederic March as Columbus. With the 1992 commemoration (and critique) of Columbus, more cinematic and television depictions of the era appeared, including a TV miniseries with Gabriel Byrne as Columbus. Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992) has Georges Corroface as Columbus with Marlon Brando as Tomás de Torquemada and Tom Selleck a…