Question – Discuss where the Spanish, French, Dutch, and Swedes settled in North America from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries and appraise the reasons for settlement in those areas.
Spanish
Although Spain claimed the Western Hemisphere through the Treaty of Tordesillas, that was not an absolute right to keep all of that land. Simply claiming those territories without attempting to settle them leaves the door open for other nations to make claims on those territories. Spain largely ignored the territories north of Mexico and never attempted to settle the areas until that territory was being challenged by another nation.
In 1559, Spain sent 1,500 people on eleven ships to create a settlement called Ochuse, which is at the modern site of Pensacola, Florida. Within a few months of that settlement, Ochuse was leveled by a hurricane that killed hundreds of people, sank half of their ships, and ruined all their supplies, including their fresh water supplies. The survivors tried to rebuild the colony, but a series of Indian attacks and famine led them to abandon the site in 1561. As a result, Spain decided that western Florida was too dangerous to settle and the area was ignored for the next 135 years. It was only when the French began constructing forts in neighboring Louisiana in the late 1600s did the Spanish have a renewed interest. In 1698, the Spanish finally established several military forts in the area that laid the foundation of what is modern Pensacola, Florida.
In 1562, twenty-eight French established a settlement called Charlesfort, the site of Parris Island, South Carolina today. These people were supposed to construct the settlement while the organizer, Jean Ribault, went back for more supplies, but he was delayed and the settlers abandoned the settlement. In 1564, Jean Ribault made another attempt at settlement and established Fort Caroline, which is near present day Jacksonville, Florida. Pedro Menendez learned of this settlement and sent a force to destroy it. Ribault attempted to protect the settlement from the sea, but an unexpected storm left the settlement defenseless. Menendez moved in and killed most of the settlers. Menendez tracked down Ribault and his 130 men, and ordered their execution after they surrendered. The Fort Caroline Massacre ended French attempts to settle Florida. In 1740, the Spanish built their own fort in the same location called Fort Matanzas (“the massacres”).
To make sure that the Spanish controlled the region, Pedro Menendez ordered a settlement in the north in 1566 at the old French site of Charlesfort (which had been abandoned) on today’s Parris Island, South Carolina. The new Spanish settlement was called Santa Elena and it served as the first capital of Spanish Florida. The settlement lasted until 1587 and at its height, held sixty buildings and over 400 people.
To further reinforce Spanish control of the region, in 1565 Pedro Menendez established a military fort in St. Augustine, Florida. This settlement is the first permanent European settlement in the United States. The settlement of St. Augustine was made to prevent any further European challenges as well as guard the east coast against pirates. To further protect the east coast from encroachment, in 1570 Menendez convinced some Jesuits (a Catholic religious order) to establish a settlement to the north at the Bay of Saint Mary, today the Chesapeake Bay of Virginia. The settlement was called the Ajacan Mission and it only lasted to 1571.
The first attempt at settlement of New Mexico began in 1598 under Juan de Onate. His mission was to establish a colony and spread the Catholic faith in this region which was occupied by Pueblo Indians. Traveling north with some missionaries, soldiers, livestock, and about 500 settlers, he created a settlement known as San Juan de los Caballeros that served as the capital of the colony. By the end of the year, he found himself embroiled in a war with the Pueblo after demanding supplies from them. In retaliation, he responded harshly, and when the king heard of his treatment of natives, he recalled Juan de Onate to Spain and banned him from New Mexico.
Pedro de Peralta was appointed governor and moved into the region to reestablish control. In 1608, he moved the capital (San Juan) thirty miles to the south and established the new capital of La Villa Real de la Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asis, or just simply Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Spain also established the province of Texas, which was named after the local native word tejas meaning “friend.” The Spanish had been in the areas since 1659 when some Franciscan friars created a mission in today’s Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, which is right across the border from El Paso, Texas. They called it Paseo del Norte (the North Pass) and it was a stopover point for trade between Mexico and Santa Fe. What finally spurred the Spanish to settle this long-neglected area was the fact that the French had established a foothold nearby in the 1680s
French fort at Natchitoches, Louisiana effectively split Spanish Florida and New Spain (Mexico, Texas, and New Mexico), and the Spanish responded by establishing a mission 100 miles to the west at Nacogdoches, TX in 1716. Meanwhile, the settlement around what is San Antonio today was expanded with the transport of several new families, a new mission known as “the Alamo,” and the organization of the settlers into the new official city of San Antonio in 1718.
The last region that the Spanish settled was California, which was also due to foreign encroachment. The Spanish sent a party north to settle Alta California. They established the first European city in California at San Diego in 1769 and organized the mission system through the future state. The military also organized four military forts, or presidios, at San Francisco, Monterey, Santa Barbara, and San Diego. There were also three towns that were organized at San Jose, Los Angeles, and Villa Branciforte (Santa Cruz). As a result of all the settlements and expeditions done by the Spanish, they almost controlled half of North America at one point of time.
French
Apart from the French claiming and settling in areas claimed beforehand by the Spanish, they had some great triumphs in settlements as well. Samuel de Champlain, known as “The Father of New France,” began exploring the region in 1603. Encouraged by the French government, he explored the St. Lawrence River and most of Acadia (Nova Scotia). On a voyage in 1605, he established the first successful settlement of Port Royal, Acadia. The city was of major importance for the next 200 years because it guarded the entrance to the St. Lawrence River. The site served as the capital, but was destroyed by the British in 1613. They rebuilt the site nearby in 1632 and also called it Port Royal. After almost 10 attempts at capture over the next 80 years, the British finally took all of Acadia in 1710 and renamed it Nova Scotia (“New Scotland”).
In his voyage of 1608, he officially established Quebec City and in 1609 he explored the lake which now bears his name (Lake Champlain) on the borders of New York, Vermont, and the Territory of Quebec. Champlain served essentially as the governor of New France toward the end of his life and through his dedication to the region, effectively claimed Canada for the French.
Despite his best efforts, Canada remained sparsely populated for the next century. Despite the setbacks, the monarchy still encouraged the exploration of New France around the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley (south of the Great Lakes) and the Mississippi Valley (southern U.S.).
French fur trappers explored these areas and established good relationships with the Indians. More than any other European nation, the French had a close relationship with the native tribes. The friendship was based in the fact that they needed to have good relations in order to trade with natives for furs. The French also had little interest in taking the land of the natives. The trappers claimed native land for France, but they had little interest in settling the land compared to the British (who wanted to take the land for agriculture). French missionaries also had generally good relations with the native people.
Two important individuals that explored the interior of the United States were the Jesuit Father Jacques Marquette and the fur trapper Louis Jolliet. On a joint expedition in 1673, they explored Michigan, Wisconsin, and discovered the upper Mississippi River (de Soto had crossed the lower Mississippi River a century prior). The explorer who was responsible for navigating the entire Mississippi River was Rene Robert Cavalier de La Salle, who explored from Illinois in canoes in 1682. Along the way, he established a fort that would later become Memphis, Tennessee. La Salle claimed the region for France and named in Louisiana in honor of King Louis XIV. After reaching the Gulf of Mexico, he returned to France with stories of a great, wide river that would connect Canada to the Caribbean. He was given 300 colonists and several ships to settle the mouth of the Mississippi but when he returned in 1684, he could not relocate the Mississippi. This was partially from poor notes on his part, but also due to the geography. La Salle attempted to search for it several times, but he overshot the mark and landed in Texas. His men mutinied and killed La Salle.
Explorer Pierre Le Moyne solidified France’s hold on the Gulf Coast. In 1700 he established a military fort at Biloxi, Mississippi and another at Mobile, Alabama in 1701. In 1718 his brother traveled up the Mississippi River established a settlement at New Orleans, Louisiana. All these movements along the coast created a special problem because that area had previously been claimed (and partially settled) by the Spanish. The reason why they did not retaliate and allowed French expansion was that in 1700, the grandson of Louis XIV ascended to the throne of Spain as Philip V.
Dutch
Holland (the Dutch) also had an interest in settling North America, especially after the founding of British and French colonies in the early 1600s. At about the same time the French were making their first settlement at Quebec, Henry Hudson was making his first voyage to North America. In 1607, a British company hired him to find an eastern passage to India, but he returned unable to push through the cold waters. In 1609, on another voyage, he started to move east but found some ice, so he just decided to go west and sailed around the Cape Cod (future home of the Pilgrims), Chesapeake Bay (just settled at Jamestown), and discovered the Delaware Bay before pushing north into modern New York. He sailed into the harbor and up the North River, which would later be renamed the Hudson River.
In 1614, the Dutch claimed the region and authorized the settlement of the territory which would later be called New Netherland. Cornelis Jacobsz May sailed into New York Harbor and landed at Governor’s Island, which is just off the tip of Manhattan in New York City. He dropped off some of the settlers at Fort Orange, who spread out created a trading post in Connecticut and they eventually created Fort Huys de Goede Hoop in 1633 (located in modern Hartford, Connecticut). Other settlers from this initial group established Fort Wilhelmus along the Delaware River in modern Burlington, New Jersey (about 15 miles upriver from Philadelphia).
In 1625, the Dutch started erecting Fort Amsterdam on the tip of Manhattan Island. The Dutch called the settlement around the fort New Amsterdam, but this would be the future New York City. The company established a fur trading post on Manhattan Island and began trading with the Iroquois Confederacy. The Dutch controlled the region, which included parts of New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and New Jersey, until 1664 when it was captured by the British. They were able to briefly recapture New Netherland in 1673, but they finally lost the colony to the British the following year.
The Dutch left behind a rich legacy for the United States. Several of the place names in New York are from Dutch origins, such as Broadway, Harlem, and Brooklyn. The Dutch also left various social customs such as the custom of Easter eggs and Santa Claus, known as Sinterklass
Swedes
Sweden also created a colony along the Delaware River that included land in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. In 1638, the Swedish West India Company sent an expedition that established the colony of New Sweden. They created a military fort called Fort Christina, named after the Swedish queen, near modern Wilmington, Delaware. As more Swedes and Finns (Finland was part of Sweden at that time) came into the colony and settled outside the walls, they eventually rebuilt the fort in 1647 to defend the new population. As the colony continued to grow, they established other settlements of Fort Nya Elfsborg near modern Salem, New Jersey and Fort Nya Gothenborg near modern Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They also captured the Dutch Fort Casimir near modern New Castle, Delaware in 1654 and renamed it Fort Trinity. In 1655, the Dutch in New York were tired of their competition and interference, so they easily captured Fort Christina and Fort Trinity, ending the colony of New Sweden. The Swedes and Finns did not last long, but they did contribute the log cabin to the American culture.