The Imperial Goals of Britain, Spain, and France in North America

     Between the years of 1580 and 1763, Britain, France, and Spain had very similar economic and political goals for their colonization of the new world, however, their religious and ideological goals were quite different. Britain’s imperial goals were dominated by economic motives driven by overpopulation and widespread poverty within their nation, leading to the need for exterior wealth. They also had a desire to establish political dominance in the world. Their religious motives were not that of the government, but of the people, for many religious dissenters wished to practice freely. The British, because they believed that they were the superior society, desired to “transplant” English society, and had no intent intermix with the native peoples. Spain, akin to Britain, wished to establish political dominance and obtain wealth from the Americas. However, their religious motives came from the Roman Catholic Church, who had ordered the spread of Catholicism to the  natives of the new world. As a result their ideals did not prevent them from intermingling with the native peoples. France had the imperial goals to obtain wealth and political dominance from their affairs in the Americas. Analogous to Spain, they also wished to convert the natives, however, their methods of achieving this goal are in stark contrast.
     Britain, due to the rapidly rising population, the rising popularity of mercantilist policy, and dissent of religious radicals, began to colonize the new world. Due to the escalation of mercantilist policy, merchants were seeking a new source of foreign trade that did not involve a foreign power. This search was also a result of the collapse of the enclosure movement, for when the glutted wool trade collapsed, the English were left with a large production of wool, and no place to export it to. This also resulted in a lack of occupation for a great many citizens, resulting in a high rate of homelessness. The high unemployment rate in combination with the overpopulation of the nation was yet another imperial motive, for there was not enough food in England to support the population due to the conversion of farms to sheep runs. The nation needed somewhere to export their excess and often unhappy population, and colonies were an apt fit. The economic policy of Mercantilism also played a large part in England’s incentive for colonization, for, as the mercantilist believed all wealth in the world was finite, they believed that they must obtain as much wealth from the new world as they possibly could, and keep it within the empire, thereby establishing dominance over other nations. English citizens desired to obtain riches such as gold and other precious metals from the new world. Many English citizens were displeased with the Angelcan faith that they were forced to practice within England. These people, widely known as “puritans”, wished to start anew in America and freely practice their chosen religion as they pleased. The British government was not concerned with spreading the Angelcan religion. Idealistically, the British believed that their society was superior to that of other cultures. This led them to believe that they needed to “transplant” British society onto the Americas, and to completely dominate over the native culture.
     Spain began to colonize the new world because to their desire for the wealth that would rival that of the Indies, their mission from the Pope to spread Catholicism, and an aspiration to expand their empire vastly. The economic motives for Spain to take initiative in colonizing the new world were very robust. Both gold and silver were discovered in this new land providing strong incentive for treasure hunters and those who wished to obtain wealth quickly. Many wished to obtain exotic goods like those from the Indies, others however wished to create a successful agricultural economy, which they accomplished with both the cultivation sugar and tobacco. They also saw the natives as a source of cheap labor not present in their home land. However, an even more prevailing imperial goal for the Spaniards was the spread of the Catholic Church. The Pope wished for the Catholic Church to be the only religion present in the Americas and they desired for the natives to be converted. Complying to this demand, the Spaniards built missions, and sent priests and other religious individuals there to accomplish this goal.
     The French, like both the Spanish and English, wished to obtain fortune from this new world, and like the Spanish, they felt obligated to convert the natives to Roman Catholicism. Economically, the French were inclined to colonize North America because of the prosperous fur trade they had early established with the natives. This economic goal was their primary motive. Unlike the Spanish, they did not have the imperialistic goal of enlisting the natives as laborers. They did wish to convert the natives, however, they were not as driven as the Spanish to achieve this, and thereby, not as forceful with their tactics. They also wished to establish a powerful presence within the new world, however, few eligible citizens were willing to migrate there.
     Overall, between the years of 1580 and 1763, the Imperialistic goals of Britain, France, and Spain in North America were primarily economic, religious, and in the interest of establishing dominance over this new land. Britain wished to establish new ports for trade, obtain exotic goods, and its citizens wished to find religious asylum from the oppressiveness of Europe. Spain, also wished to obtain to locations to trade with and exotic goods, however, they also wished to spread the Roman Catholic faith, and establish complete dominance for it in North America. The French wanted also to institute new ports for trade and obtain exotic goods, and akin to Spain, they wished to bring and spread the Catholic faith in North America.