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In Chapters 3 and 5 of American Colonies, Taylor focuses specifically on two different European powers that colonized America: the Spanish and the French. These two countries dealt with the colonies in radically different ways due to several factors such as, their purpose in the “New World,” their military capabilities, and the influence of the overseas government. In many ways, these three factors are linked to each other. For example, Spain’s purpose was to discover gold and become wealthy, in addition to ‘saving’ the native’s souls by conversion. In order to accomplish this goal, the Spanish were able to conquer by force because of their wealth and military prowess. However, the militaristic campaign spread quickly as the greed of the conquistadors increased, and individual conquistadors and encomiendas began to gain power. As a result, the Spanish monarchy worried that these individuals would become too independent and powerful. To check the growth of sovereignty overseas, the government imposed exceedingly strict regulations on the colonial government.
On the other hand, the French colonies enjoyed more freedom from their European government. This luxury was possibly a result of the intent of their colonization. The French were less focused on establishing a permanent settlement and a new colonial hierarchy than simply trading with the Indians to make money from furs. Additionally, the French government was less wealthy and powerful than the Spanish, and it would have been more difficult for them to wage such an expensive overseas war, not to mention detrimental to making trade allies for fur.
While I agree with “maspeed’s” statement that Taylor’s focus on different countries shows their differences in dealing with the natives and the land, but it also led me to consider that it also indicates a single perspective. By categorizing the history with regard to specific countries, the text leans toward the European history viewpoint. However, Taylor does acknowledge that the Indians did not always differentiate between European nationalities as we do today.