Spanish Settlement in the New World: Occupational Patterns and Forces

The need to convert the local inhabitants of the area into Hispanics, or as they were referred to during the time as subjects to the Spanish Crown, inspired Spanish settlements in the West, especially along the northern frontier (Faragher, Buhle, Czitrom, & Armitage, 2011). The aim of this paper is to determine the trends encountered by the Spaniards during their conquest and colonization of North America. Furthermore, the essay would aid in comprehending the powers that pushed the Spanish in their settlement plans during the establishment of the New World in the 1500s (Faragher, 2000). This script will address the underlying factors and provide a summary and understanding of the operation of the Spanish during this period.

Spanish Crown developed a unique approach in their conquest of the northern frontier in America that set them apart from other colonialists such as the English from New England (Faragher, 2000). The English practiced a more aggressive approach when it came to the acquisition of the lands owned by the inhabitants like in the case of the Indians where they used force in removing them from their fertile lands and resulted in many Indians getting killed as a consequence (Faragher et al., 2011). On the other hand, the Spanish used a rather less subtle approach in winning over the Indians since their goal was to make the people become subjects to the Spanish Crown which entails winning their loyalty. The Spanish used the Catholic church in their conquest where they aimed to evangelize the Indians and convert them into “Gente de Razon” primarily interpreted as “people of reason.” These were Spanish speaking peasant farmers who adhered to Euro-Christian requirements observing Catholic doctrines accompanied by work and sexual discipline (Faragher, 2000).

Spanish settlements in the present day the United States had a backdrop of three jointly reinforcing types which revolved around: the undertaking, the Presidio (fortification), and the Pueblo (city) (Faragher, 2000). These are among the bottom line factors that determined the settlement patterns of the Spanish in the northern frontier. The relevance of each was based on the terrain of the place, the receptiveness of the people in the settlements, in this case, the Indians, the demeanor of the soldiers and the priests and finally the ferociousness in the response of the enemies of the crown whether from the Indians or the Europeans (Faragher et al., 2011). Catalyzed missionization had two underlying factors which include the fanaticism of the mission friars and the intrusion of rival powers. It came in the periods of 1565 to 1573 where the Spanish had established their rule in northern Mexico, and they were on the verge of stiff competition and threat of other European powers (Faragher et al., 2011).

Conclusion

The Spanish occupation in the New World was accomplished by the use of a unique pattern as shown in the paper. As established in the script, the Spanish Crown placed consideration in the manner in which they wanted to convert the inhabitants, like in the case of the Indians, into loyal subjects who would serve the goal of the Spanish Crown (Faragher, 2000). In the effort of their settlement into the New World, several forces determined the patterns observed by the Spanish which the paper has vividly shown, and it entailed factors like terrain and the aggression and resistance brought about by the inhabitants or other competing Europeans. The draft has addressed the thesis question and provided supporting statements on the approach of the Spanish where they used the Catholic church as a gateway to the people (Faragher et al., 2011).

References

Faragher, J. M. (2000). Out of many: A history of the American people (Vol. 2). Prentice Hall.

Faragher, J. M., Buhle, M. J., Czitrom, D. H., & Armitage, S. H. (2011). Out of Many: A History of the American People, Volume 2, 7/E. Instructor. Retrieved from http://files.cerrocoso.edu/cic/docs/Syllabus/SUMMER%20SYLLABI/J11Syllabi/HISTC132GREEDY_J11.doc