Colonial Encounters in the Age of High Imperialism - Essay Example

The Spanish pattern of Colonization was based on religious conversion and the control of the military forces of their colonies. The French pattern of colonization was based on the stimulation of the church, state, and the control of the military forces. The French settlements depended on the trading of fur rather than by agriculture, while the primary purpose of settlement of the English and Spanish colonists was based on agriculture. The Spanish pattern of colonization was based on the principle of mercantilism, which meant that the colonies supplied market and materials and ease the home nations on reliance on other countries.

This meant that the Spanish colonization impeded trade amongst the locals and imposed high taxes upon the locals. The French pattern of colonization was based on imperialism as they dominated the political, military, and economic spheres of their colonies. The English colonization was also imperialistic in nature. Unlike the French colonists, the English colonists were more prepared to grant independence to their colonies. The Spanish colonists also did not grant independence to their colonies until the colonies fought for their independence, especially the Spanish colonies in South America.

The English colonists settled in the eastern seaboard of North America and they were faced with stiff competition from the French colonists, which colonized most parts of Canada. The French colonists settled in Quebec, Canada in 1608 and they claimed Louisiana for themselves in 1682. The French and Spanish settlers were largely Roman Catholics and they tried to convert their colonies to Roman Catholic, while the English settlers were purely Protestants, thus establishing missionaries among their colonies (Cook).

The Spanish colonization practiced frontiers of inclusion; the French colonization also practiced frontiers of inclusion as they mixed more with their colonies, while the English colonization practiced frontiers of exclusion.