SPANISH RULE IN THE AMERICAS

After Columbus died in 1506, the allure of abundant precious metals soon brought Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors, explorers and settlers back to the Caribbean Islands, Central and South America. They discovered new territories, opened additional trade routes and sought to conquer native tribes. Their sovereigns willingly supported these voyages– anticipating increased wealth and more power.

Two of the most famous Spanish conquistadors were Hernan Cortes and Francisco Pizarro. In 1519, Cortes conquered the Aztec Empire in Mexico. Pizarro, a distant cousin of Cortes, first arrived in Panama in 1513 with Vasco Nunez de Balboa. While exploring western South America, he repeatedly encountered natives who shared tales of a highly-evolved and wealthy civilization to the south with “rooms full of gold”. He conquered the Incas in 1531.

In early American governments the Europeans were more heavy-handed. Wealth and power was primarily reserved for rulers and friends, but not the common man. This ruthless approach lasted almost four hundred years– from the time of Columbus until the Spanish War 1898. The outcome: unstable governments and leaders who were often completely self-serving and less-than-interested or supportive of freedom. This created huge divides between the “haves” and the “have-nots”—with the majority of the population living in poverty.

Spain dictated both the secular laws and religion for the New World—a largely successful approach given there was virtually no separation between church and state. Unlike our country’s beginnings, the rest of the Americas and those who led them failed to grasp the concept of balancing self-reliance and personal responsibility with working together for the common good.

Colonizing Middle North America During the 16th century, three European nations– Spain, France, and England– all attempted to colonize North America along the coast between northern Florida and Maine without success.

THE SPANISH IN NORTH AMERICA

THE FRENCH ATTEMPT AT COLONIZATION

In the late 16th century, France became embroiled in several decades of violent religious wars. A group known as Huguenots chose to leave their Catholic faith for Protestantism. This bold choice resulted in demands for their extermination and tens of thousands were systematically massacred.

In 1562, a French nobleman, Gaspard de Coligny, a highly-respected military reformer and prominent Huguenot leader, petitioned and won the Queen’s permission for the faction to leave France and settle in North America. The first expedition was led by Admiral Jean Ribault to Parris Island, South Carolina and failed miserably. A small group of troops were left on the island to build Charlesfort, but abandoned the site after a year. Without provisions and lacking leadership, the settlement was doomed as well by the inability to manage increasingly tenuous relations with the native population.

In 1564, Rene Goulaine de Laudonniere founded a second colony along the St. John’s River near Jacksonville, Florida also intended for the Huguenots. It was named La Caroline, (“land of Charles”) in honor of King Charles IX.

Early on, the French survived by trading with the Native Americans. But in time their failure to adapt and learn the fishing, hunting, and farming skills so essential to survival left them destitute. In desperation, they turned to robbing or abducting natives; which only increased tension in the already fragile relations. Challenged by settling land with little access to fresh water, and extreme weather patterns, the colonists were unable to develop the means to make use of the abundant natural resources.

De Laudonniere soon made the decision to permanently abandon the colony. While the group was making preparations to depart, they were astonished by the unexpected arrival of several ships. John Hawkins, an English privateer, sold the French a vessel and supplies. In August, 1565, while waiting for favorable winds, another ship arrived bringing more settlers and supplies. Buoyed by this influx, La Caroline now with a population of about 800, flourished for a month.

In early September, a Spanish fleet sailed up the Saint John’s River with orders from Spain to destroy La Caroline. The Spanish attacked the French, but horrific weather conditions forced them to retreat. Most of the French ships sailed after the Spanish, but the hurricane drove the French out to sea.

Meanwhile, the Spanish regrouped and attacked the French by land. More than 140 Frenchmen who had remained at the fort were killed. Within a few days, the French ships limped back into the harbor, badly battered by the storm. The Spanish, now holding the strategic advantage, ordered the French to surrender. Separating them into groups of ten, each individual was asked which they would choose: to denounce their new faith or face execution. All but a few chose execution. Those who denounced their faith were taken prisoners. Unfortunately, La Caroline quickly became France’s second failure at colonizing in the New World.

Fort Caroline lasted only one year before being destroyed by the Spanish from St. Augustine. The settlement was completely destroyed.

THE ENGLISH ATTEMPT AT COLONIZATION

JAMESTOWN

Pedro de Quejo, a Spanish explorer and slave trader purportedly first discovered the Chesapeake Bay in 1525 while sailing the coast of Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia.

Some eighty years later, even after several failed attempts, the English were still determined to settle in North America. In the early 1600’s, English investors John Smith, Bartholomew Gosnold, Edward Maria Wingfield and others sought support for their plan to colonize North America. In 1605, the Crown under James I expressed interest and their proposal finally received financial backing.

In April, 1606, Lord Popham, the Crown’s first minister, with help from two investment groups—the West Company and London Company, divided North America into two interests— one north and one to the south. Practical circumstances at the time left only New England or the Chesapeake Bay as possible sites. The London Company under the direction of Gosnold, Wingfield and others was granted power to settle the Chesapeake.

During December of 1606, three ships, the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and the Discovery, left London stocked with supplies and 114 “first planters”–men with a variety of skills set on securing their fortunes quickly and then returning to their homeland. Although the settlement was not primarily envisioned as an agricultural endeavor, the Virginia Council, the expedition’s governing body, expected them to sow wheat and other crops.

Almost immediately, the voyage encountered huge challenges. A storm stalled them off the coast of Kent for six weeks. Some suffered and almost died from severe seasickness. From the beginning the men aboard were filled with greed and envy and there was considerable dissension. On February 12, 1607 Smith was arrested for mutiny by the captains of the other ships because of his constant criticism of their decisions. Although Christopher Newport, the fleet’s commander, would have rather hanged Smith, Gosnold convinced him otherwise. By the end of March, they had reached the West Indies, where they took time to rest and recuperate.

On April 10, the English set sail again for the American shore only to once again run into “a vehement tempest”. Smith attributed this incident to divine intervention. “But God, the guider of all good actions,” he wrote, “forcing them by an extream storm to hul night, did drive them by his providence to their desired port, beyond all their expectations, for never any of them had seene that coast.” While others would have abandoned the voyage, Smith remained completely steadfast to his notion God had delivered them safely through the violent storms.

Upon arrival, the English explored the James River and found a suitable area to settle—one blessed with built-in natural protection. By late June, they had sowed a wheat crop, assembled a variety of valuable exports, built a fort, and were convinced they were near a location rich with gold.

Meanwhile, The London Company set up a “government” comprised of seven members—who then elected a president—a position which carried two votes. Under this system, a simple majority could enact laws. The company envisioned that all important or timely decisions would be made locally—much different from the Spanish. However, the practical effect of having eight votes only stifled the process. With two votes allocated to the president, and two more members coming down on his side, any motion could be quashed. In particular, John Smith consistently found his ideas blocked.

Christopher Newport set sail back to England emboldened with good news and hoping to encourage a second expedition. Within weeks of his departure, conditions at Jamestown deteriorated drastically. By September, half the settlers, including the company’s leadership stabilizer, Bartholomew Gosnold, had died from salt water poisoning, dysentery, or typhoid– all resulting from the lack of fresh water. By winter only 40 were still alive. In their darkest days, the natives took pity on the few surviving colonists and brought them food.

During the fall and winter months, John Smith made three trips to trade with the natives to obtain food. During a fourth trip he and two others, John Robinson and Thomas Emry were captured by the Powhatan Confederacy. Robinson and Emry were both killed– but Smith distracted the natives by playing a game of “Fly and Needle” long enough to save his own life.

After being held hostage for days, the natives escorted Smith to their powerful Chief, Wahunsonacock (also known as Powhatan) who sought Smith’s help by asking him to betray the English and officially join their tribe. John Smith also recorded an encounter with Powhatan’s favorite daughter, Pocahontas (who later married Englishman John Rolfe in 1614) claiming she helped save his life.

Conditions in early Jamestown remained troubling. The leaders often found themselves bitterly divided. Some wanted to spend all their time searching for gold instead of focusing on planting crops. Others were in favor of a lighter-handed approach to ruling.

At times, leaders actually confiscated all of the crops produced by the colony leaving the others to starve. The amount of land they could cultivate was limited; and the colonists feared for their safety if they ventured too far from the settlement. Lacking the skills to raise sufficient crops, those who were destitute often changed their allegiance which added to the instability in an already fragile system.

Returning from one of his many expeditions, Smith found Jamestown in complete crisis. He had been away during the “extreame frozen time”. During his absence, several more leaders had drowned. It was his time to lead. The way had been cleared by completely unforeseen circumstances for a man with a unique perspective to step to the forefront.

For one thing, Smith was highly intolerant of idleness. Gathering the surviving colonists together, he announced “He that will not worke shall not eate.” Powerful core principles like self-reliance, now by sheer necessity would penetrate their culture.

From the very beginning until Smith left Jamestown, either he or his now archrival, Captain Newport hunted for gold. Nothing was ever found. But time and experience would change Smith’s perspective. To the London Company, hoping to influence their focus as well, he wrote: “[We] may have the prerogative over the most pleasant places of Europe, Asia, Africa or America, for large and pleasant rivers [;] heaven and earth never agreed better to frame a place for man’s habitation being of our constitutions, were it fully manured and inhabited by an industrious people.”

John Smith had come to understand Virginia’s true inherent value: her natural resources. His astute assessment begs the question, just how fortuitous was the storm which had pushed them to the “Chesapeake?”

In January of 1608, Captain Newport returned with “the first supply” on the John and Francis, including one hundred new settlers.

POCAHONTAS

THE MIRACLE OF PROTECTION

THE SECOND SUPPLY

AN IMPROBABLY MEETING

GOVERNMENT AND ECONOMIC EXPERIMENTS

THE INFLUENCE OF JAMESTOWN