How did the English conquests in the Americas differ from the Spanish?

The English conquests in the Americas were more focused on settlement and trade, while the Spanish sought gold and conversion of natives.

The English and Spanish had different motivations and methods for their conquests in the Americas. The Spanish, led by conquistadors, were primarily driven by the desire for wealth and the spread of Catholicism. They sought to extract gold and other valuable resources from the New World and convert the indigenous people to Christianity. Their approach was often brutal, involving forced labour and violence. The Spanish also established a system of encomiendas, where Spanish settlers were granted land and a number of native labourers.

On the other hand, the English were more interested in establishing colonies for settlement and trade. They were motivated by the desire for new lands for their growing population and the potential for profitable trade, particularly in tobacco and fur. Unlike the Spanish, the English did not have a strong focus on converting the indigenous people to Christianity. Their approach to the native populations varied, with some colonies attempting to maintain peaceful relations and trade, while others engaged in conflict and displacement of the natives.

The English and Spanish also had different systems of governance in their colonies. The Spanish colonies were directly ruled by the Spanish Crown, with a strict hierarchical system and little autonomy for the colonies. In contrast, the English colonies had a greater degree of self-governance, with local assemblies and governors who had some autonomy from the English Crown. This difference in governance reflected the different goals of the English and Spanish: the Spanish aimed to control and exploit the resources of the New World, while the English aimed to create new societies and economies.

In summary, the English and Spanish conquests in the Americas differed in their motivations, methods, and systems of governance. The Spanish were driven by the desire for wealth and religious conversion, using force and direct rule to achieve their goals. The English, meanwhile, were more focused on settlement and trade, with a greater degree of autonomy and varied relations with the indigenous populations.