Dutch
colonization of the Americas
Viking
colonization of the Americas
European colonization of the Americas
The Vikings were the first Europeans to reach the Americas, starting but
then abandoning a colonisation process.
This first phase of modern European activity in this region began with
the oceanic crossings of Christopher Columbus (1492-1500), sponsored by
Spain, and those of other explorers such as John Cabot, sponsored by England,
and Giovanni da Verrazano, sponsored by France.
This was followed, notably in the case of Spain, by a phase of conquest:
The Spaniards (just having finished a war against the Muslims in Iberia)
replaced the Amerindian local oligarchies and impose a new religion: Christianity.
Diseases and cruel systems of work (the famous haciendas and mining industry)
decimate the Amerindian population under its government. On the other hand,
the Spaniards will not impose their language in the same measurement and
they even evangelize in Quechua, contributing to the expansion of the language
of the Inca and equipping it with a writing system.
(See also: Conquistador, Francisco Vasquez de Coronado, Cortez, Francisco
Pizarro, Spanish Conquest of Yucatan)
In the British and French regions, the focus of economy soon shifted
from resource extraction to trading with the natives. This was also practiced
by the Russians the northwest coast of North America. After the French
and Indian War, Great Britain captured all French possessions in North
America.
Slavery under European rule began with importation of white European
slaves (or indentured servants), was followed by the enslavement of local
aborigines in the Caribbean, and eventually was primarily replaced with
Africans imported through a large slave trade as the native populations
declined through disease. But by the 18th century, the overwhelming number
of black slaves was such that white and Native American slavery was less
common.
In the 19th century, the army of the United States massacred Native
Americans and confined survivors into reservations. On the other hand,
the descendants of the native Americans constitute the base of the population
of the countries that long ago comprised the Spanish Empire in America,
excepting Argentina, Uruguay and the Caribbean ones. Two of the Amerindian
languages, Quechua and the Guarani have reached rank of co-officials in
Latin American countries.
British colonization of the Americas
The English established colonies along the east coast of North America
from Newfoundland as far south as Georgia, and on islands in the Caribbean.
Important early colonies included Jamestown, Virginia founded in 1607 (the
first successful English colony in North America) and the Massachusetts
Bay Colony in New England founded in 1620 at Plymouth, Massachusetts. There
was also an early unsuccessful Scottish attempt at a colony at Darien,
and the colonisation of Nova Scotia is also associated with Scotland.
England also took over the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, which was
renamed New York in 1664. Britain acquired the French colony of New France
and the Spanish colony of Florida in 1763. New France became the Canadas.
In the north the Hudson's Bay Company actively traded for fur with the
Indians, and had competed with French fur traders. The company came to
control the entire drainage basin of Hudson's Bay. Britain also colonized
the west coast of North America with British Columbia, founded in 1843.
Along with the colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island
and later Newfoundland, these would combine to make up modern Canada.
Danish colonization of the Americas
Explorers and settlers from Denmark took possession of the Danish Virgin
Islands which Denmark later sold to the United States. Beginning in 1721,
they also founded colonies in Greenland, which is now a self-governing
part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
During the 17th century, the Virgin Islands in the Caribbean Sea were
divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Denmark
started a colony on St. Thomas in 1671, St. John in 1718 and purchased
St. Croix from France in 1733. Sugar cane, produced by slave labor, drove
the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. They were
also used as a base for pirates. In 1917, the US seized the Danish portion
(going through a form of purchase), which had been in economic decline
since the abolition of slavery in 1848.
French colonization of the Americas
Explorers and settlers from France settled in what is now Canada, the Mississippi
Valley and along the Gulf coast in what is now Alabama, Mississippi and
Louisiana founding the cities of Quebec, Montreal, St. Louis, Missouri,
Mobile, Alabama, Biloxi, Mississippi, and New Orleans, Louisiana.
The French were very interested in the fur trade and purchased fur from
and formed alliances with Native American tribes such as the Huron and
Ottawa. They actively engaged in warfare with the traditional enemies of
the Hurons and Ottawas, the Iroquois.
France once held vast possessions in North America including the Mississippi
and St. Lawrence river valleys. However, as a result of the French and
Indian War, all French territory on the North American continent was divided
between the British and the Spanish. The French were able to briefly regain
some of the Spanish possessions in North America during the Napoleonic
Era. However, because France did not have the navy to resupply its North
American holdings and because France did not want its possessions to fall
into the hands of the British, Napoleon sold Louisiana to the United States.
The only remaining French possession in North America is Saint Pierre and
Miquelon, a group of islands off the Canadian coast.
New Sweden
New Sweden (
Nya Sverige) was a Swedish colony in North America
corresponding roughly to today's state of Delaware but also containing
settlements in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The colony existed
from March 29, 1638 to September 1655.)
The first Swedish expedition to North America was launched in late 1637.
Samuel Blommaert assisted with the fitting-out and appointed Peter Minuit
to lead the expedition. Minuit was formerly the governor of the Dutch colony
of New Netherland. The expedition arrived in Delaware Bay, a location within
the territory claimed by the Dutch, in late March 1638. They built a fort
on the present-day location of the city of Wilmington which they named
Fort Christina, after the Swedish queen. In the following years, some 600
Swedes and Finns settled in the area.
In May 1654, the Dutch Fort Casimir was conquered by the Swedish, led
by governor Johan Rising. The fort was taken without force since no gunpowder
was present, and the settlement was renamed Fort Trinity. As reprisal,
the Dutch -- led by governor Peter Stuyvesant -- moved an army to the Delaware
River in the late summer of 1655, leading to the immediate surrender of
Fort Trinity and Fort Christina.
The Swedish and Finnish settlers continued to enjoy a degree of local
autonomy, having the right to their own militia, religion, court, and lands.
This status lasted until the English conquest of the colony (October 1664)
and its subsequent inclusion in Pennsylvania (1682).
Portuguese colonization of the Americas
Portugal was the leading country in the European exploration of the world
in the 15th century. The Treaty of Tordesillas split the New World into
Spanish and Portuguese zones in 1494.
Explorer Pedro Alvares Cabral landed on April 22, 1500 in what is today
Porto Seguro, Brazil. Permanent habitation did not begin until São Vicente
was founded in 1532 although temporary trading posts were established earlier
to collect brazilwood, used as a dye. With permanent settlement came the
establishment of the sugar cane industry and its intensive labor demands
which were met with Indian and later African slaves. The capital, Salvador,
was established in 1549 at the Bay of All Saints. The first Jesuits arrived
the same year.
In 1565–1567 Mem de Sá led Portuguese to destroy the 10 year old French
colony at the Bay of Rio de Janeiro. He then founded the city of Rio de
Janeiro.
Between 1638 and 1640 the Netherlands comes to control almost half of
Brazil, with their capital in Recife. The Portuguese win a significant
victory in the battle of Guararapes in 1649. By 1654, the Netherlands has
surrendered and returned control of all Brazilian land to the Portuguese.
Russian colonization of the Americas
After the discovery of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska in 1741 during the
Russian exploration conducted by Vitus Bering and Aleksiei Chirikov, it
took over forty years until the founding of the first Russian colony in
Alaska in 1784 by Gregory Shelekov of The Russian-American Company who
was hunting sea otters for their fur.
Subsequently, Russian explorers and settlers continued to establish
trading posts in Alaska, the Aleutian Islands and as far south as Fort
Ross in northern California.
The colony was never very profitable, because of the costs of transportation.
At the instigation of Secretary of State William Seward, the United States
Senate approved the purchase of Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000 on April
9, 1867.
Since start of Perestroika in Russia there was speculation in the Russian
mass media that Alaska was not in fact sold, but was instead leased to
the USA for 99 or 150 years and has to be returned to Russia.
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Spanish colonization of the Americas began with the "discovery"
of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492.
Early settlements by the Spanish were on the islands of the Caribbean.
On his fourth and final voyage in 1502 Columbus encountered a large canoe
off the coast of what is now Honduras filled with trade goods. He boarded
the canoe and rifled through the cargo which included cacao beans, copper
and flint axes, copper bells, pottery, and colorful cotton garments. He
took one prisoner and what he wanted from the cargo and let the canoe continue.
This was the first contact of the Spanish with the civilizations of Central
America.
It was 1517 before another expedition from Cuba visited Central America
landing on the coast of the Yucatan in search of slaves. This was followed
by a phase of conquest: The Spaniards (just having finished a war against
the Muslims in Iberia) replaced the Amerindian local oligarchies and impose
a new religion: Christianity. (See also: Conquistador, Francisco Vasquez
de
Coronado, Cortez, Francisco Pizarro, Spanish Conquest of Yucatan)
Diseases and cruel systems of work (the famous haciendas and mining
industry) decimate the Amerindian population under its government. African
slaves began to be imported. On the other hand, the Spaniards will not
impose their language in the same measurement and they even evangelize
in Quechua, contributing to the expansion of the language of the Inca and
equipping it with a writing system.
In 1720 a small expedition from Santa Fe met and attempted to parley
with French allied Pawnee in what is now Nebraska. Things did not go well
and a battle ensued; the Spanish were badly defeated, only 13 managing
to return to New Mexico. Although this was a small engagement it is significant
being the furthest penetration of the Spanish into the great plains setting
the limit to Spanish expansion and influence there.
Nowadays, the descendants of the native Americans constitute the base
of the population of the countries that long ago comprised of the Spanish
Empire in America, excepting Argentina, Uruguay and the Caribbean ones.
Two of the Amerindian languages, Quechua and the Guarani have reached rank
of co-officials in Latin American countries. There was Latin American President
from Indian origen, as Benito Júarez, in Mexico or Alejandro Toledo, in
Peru.
