Download English and Spanish Colonizers` Cultural Values by Dmytro and

English and Spanish Colonizers’ Cultural Values
by
Dmytro and Yevgen Mishchenko
HSS 212-008
Dr. Oguine
February 26, 2002
Mishchenko & Mishchenko 1
The two Western countries that were famous for their colonizing activities were
England and Spain. Two cultural values that inspired their voyages and colonization of
the New World were materialistic values such as quest for gold, trade profits and
religious ones, as contained in World History from 1500 by J. Michael Allen & James B.
Allen and the film, Conqistadores, directed by David Wallace. Both English and Spanish
explorers shared these cultural values, but there were some differences in their
colonization policies.
Spain was the first country to claim the lands in the New World. Soon after the
first discoveries by Christopher Columbus, Spanish explorers found the mainland,
Yukatan Peninsula, which was densely populated and the indigenous society possessed
large quantities of precious metals and stones. Aztec and Mayan civilizations were wiped
out by conquistadores - soldiers and adventurers whose main goal was to get rich by
looting and exploitation, as shown in the film Conquistadores. This was one of the most
regretful historical examples of how greed can lead to horribly inhumane acts. For
instance, in the film, Cortez, the most famous conquistador, asked the Aztec ambassador:
“Do you have more gold, because my men have a disease of the heart, that can be cured
only by gold?” That was the first sign of greed. Also, indigenous people that were not
killed by diseases or the sword were brutally exploited in the name of religion, in mines
and on plantations: “Immediately the Indians were placed under new forms of
government, required to speak a new language, and were converted (usually by coercion)
to a new religion. Their culture was practically destroyed, and they were exploited and
brutalized by a new labor system”
(Allen & Allen 28). Indeed, after taking all the gold, the Spaniards did not have any
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intention of leaving, because colonies were supplying various goods back to Europe. So
the materialistic desires of the colonizers were satisfied to the fullest degree. Spain’s
investments into the colonization efforts were not just paid back, but rather multiplied
tens of times. The country suddenly began to enjoy the enormous supply of different
goods that were considered extreme luxury.
Seeing Spain’s success, England did not wish to be left out any more. Being
weaker than Spain at the beginning, they did not even make any serious colonization
efforts, but were simply plundering rich Spanish fleets returning from colonies through
the exploits of Sir. Francis Drake. But at the end of the sixteenth century, several
attempts were made to settle on the east coast of North America, the few of which failed.
Compared to Central and South America, the climate was colder, Indian tribes were far
from friendly and there was no gold whatsoever, so it was much harder to make a profit.
For instance,“Mere survival was not enough; all American colonies continued to be
dependent on Europe for supplies, and the process of peopling and supplying them was
unbelievably expensive. Settlers, whatever their underlying goals, had to turn their efforts
immediately to the search for wealth” (Kupperman 10). So, the English crown was
granting charters to companies and individuals who then left to seek fortune in the new
land. Despite that there was no gold, other natural resourses were found to be useful. For
example, settlers in Virginia discovered that tobacco was thriving on the new soil (Allen
& Allen 32), and later cotton and rice became profitable products.
The other reason why Spanish explorers were advancing into the unknown lands
was
“to bring Light into Darkness”: to spread Christianity. And it was spread mostly by force.
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For instance, the natives were given the option to become Christians and start working
for the white man or die. One reason for such an inhumane treatment of indigenous
people was that their religious practices were very wild and unusual to white men,
because most tribes practiced human sacrifice and had completely different religious
values. All that made Spanish explorers consider them subhuman, consequently believing
that humane treatment was unnecessary: “Like cannibalism, human sacrifice was widely
represented as a justification for war against heathen” (Parry 177). But after some time
the attitude was attacked by many humanists. Dominican priest, Bartolome de Las Casas,
was the first person to notably shift the attitude towards indigenous people. He insisted
that converted natives were not different from white people in their faith and living,
consequently deserving the same human rights. It was ironic that religion should be used
to exploit the natives.
But some people were leaving England not only for profit. Back at home there
was no space for religious dissent, so many communities decided to settle in the new
lands to worship God as they pleased. Almost all New England states were founded by
Puritans - people who followed the doctrines of Calvin and resented many practices of
the Church of England. Of course, these people made sure that they could make a living
in colonies, which very soon became centers of fur trade and shipbuilding. “Theirs was a
unique combination of economic and religious motivation. It is unlikely that they would
have made the move if they did not feel assured that they could do at least two things:
make a profit (their Calvinist leanings persuaded them that the ‘elect ‘ of God would be
blessed with economic success) and establish a ‘City of Zion’, or an ideal Christian
community that would be a ‘light on
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a hill’ to all the world “ (Allen & Allen 33). Unlike the Spaniards, there was almost no
effort to convert heathen Indians. With regard to them, more of a closed policy was
accepted. Also Puritans did not feel any embarrassment of being frequently involved in
slave trade, which was another example of atrocities committed through religion.
Finally, Spanish and British colonies were founded by people that were sharing
similar religious and economic values but some how different. Spanish colonial empire
was built on principles of strictly centralized government along with cultural and
religious domination. Whereas British colonies enjoyed significantly higher degree of
economic and religious freedom and adopted a more closed policy towards indigenous
people. These discrepancies emerged from varying environments in the new lands and
cultural differences between colonizers themselves. Whatever reasons the two countries
had for their colonization policies, it was ironic that their cultural values enriched them
and gave them more power, for instance the British Empire became the greatest in the
whole world; while such values served as instruments of exploitation, destruction and
degradation to indigenous people.
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Works Cited
Allen, Michael J. & James B. Allen. World History from 1500. New York: Harper
Collins Publishers, 1993.
Conquistadores. Pres. Michael Wood. Dir. David Wallace. Videocassette. PBS
Special Presentation, August 7, 2001.
Kupperman, Karen. North America and the Beginnings of European Colonization.
Washington D.C.: American Historical Association, 1992.
Parry, John. The Age of Reconnaisance. Discovery, Exploration and Settlement 1450 to
1650. New York: Praeger Publishers, 1969.