argumentative one

Miguel Olmedo

February 18, 2019

AP English 3rd

European expansion

In attempt to discover a quick route to asia an italian sailor named christopher columbus, hired by the spanish monarchy sailed the atlantic ocean in 1492 and discovered the Americas. The discovery of the americas would have a drastic effect on the natives. The discovery led to interactions between the natives and European nations. The spanish interactions with the natives mainly focused on assimilation of culture and for economic purpose. Another European Nation the impacted the natives are the french. The french first established Quebec under sponsorship of King Henry IV for economic benefit. Arguably French and Spanish Interactions with the nations were similar because both benefited economically. However social interactions with the natives between the european nations and the natives, the methods of benefiting economically, and the assimilation of culture say otherwise. Therefore  the interactions between the French and Spanish and the natives are all different.

Social interactions between natives and the French and Spanish were extremely different. Interactions between the natives and the spanish usually and brutal endings for the natives. The spanish viewed the natives as inferior creatures and these view were reflected through their actions. The spanish would often rape native women because the spanish conquistadors were mainly male. The rape of native women would create a spanish hierarchy putting native spanish on top. The spanish would also enslave, torture, and the kill the natives. On the contrary the french respected the natives. The french would adopt native culture in order to better interact with the natives. Many french choice to marry native women. In addition the french preferably would have peaceful interactions that would benefit both. Clearly the spanish and the french had very different interactions with the natives.

Both the spanish and the french economically benefited for the natives. Although both benefited the spanish would use force. The first economic interactions between  the spanish and the natives was because the spanish wanted gold. The spanish would often cut natives hands off if they didn't collect the sufficient amount of gold. The spanish would also uses the encomienda system in order to get free labor from the natives. The french would instead pay the natives for fur pellets during the fur trade. The difference between the two nations interactions is that the french prefer having a mutual relationship while the spanish were often violent toward the natives. Clearly their economic interactions with the natives were extremely different.

Lastly, both nations had a different a viewpoint on the assimilation of culture. The spanish would see the natives culture as vulgar and force assimilation. The spanish would force the encomienda system which was the exchange of “salvation” by forcing to convert inreturn for free labor. The spanish would also suppress native culture and punish those who don't follow the rules. The french did believe the natives should convert but did not force it. Some french would also assimilate with the native culture. The french would build churches in attempt to convert the natives but unlike the spanish and junipero serra they would not force conversation. Clearly the frenches interactions with the natives were totally different form the spanish.

In conclusion the spanish and french interactions were very different because the french were more violent towards the natives.