Early American History

Although the New World is most commonly recognized as being settled by the English, the French and the Spanish had their hand in colonization as well. It is a well known fact that the exploration of the Americas began in 1492 with Columbus sailing on behest of Spain. Once his discovery was reported it seemed that Spain would be best suited for colonization. 1Its experience with the reconquista gave it a religious justification for conquest (bringing Christianity to nonbelievers) and an army of seasoned soldiers--conquistadores--eager to seek their fortunes in America now that the last Muslims had been expelled from Spain. In addition, during the reconquista, Spain's rulers developed efficient techniques for controlling newly conquered lands that could be applied to New World colonies. Because of their impressive numbers and desire for wealth and power the Spanish had no problem in conquering the Aztecs and the Incas. The desire for gold eventually lured Spaniards farther into North America.

2In 1539, Hernán de Soto--who tried unsuccessfully to get Cabeza de Vaca to serve as a guide--led an expedition from Florida to the Mississippi River. Along the way, the Spaniards harassed the native peoples, demanding provisions, burning villages, and capturing women to be servants and concubines. In these same years, Francisco Vásquez de Coronado led 300 troops on an equally destructive expedition through present-day Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado on a futile search for the mythical Seven Cities of CÍbola, rumored to contain hoards of gold and precious stones. The failure to find gold and silver halted Spain's attempt to extend its empire to the north. By the end of the sixteenth century, the Spanish maintained just two precarious footholds north of Mexico. One was at St. Augustine, on Florida's Atlantic coast. The other settlement was located far to the west in what is now New Mexico.

3France was a relative latecomer to New World exploration. Preoccupied with European affairs, France's rulers paid little attention to America. But when news of Cortés's exploits in Mexico arrived in the 1520s, King Francis I wanted his own New World empire to enrich France and block further Spanish expansion. In 1524, Francis sponsored a voyage by Giovanni da Verrazano, an Italian navigator, who mapped the North American coast from present-day South Carolina to Maine. During the 1530s and 1540s, the French mariner Jacques