Competition between European countries played a big role in how they colonized the Americas from the late 1400s to the early 1700s.

Major Players:

• Spain:

  • They set up the first lasting settlement in St. Augustine in 1565.
  • Spain took over large areas of land and became very rich from their conquests, which is about $200 billion in today’s money.

• England:

  • They started Jamestown in 1607.
  • By 1733, they quickly set up 13 colonies.

• France:

  • They focused mainly on trade and building friendships with Native Americans.
  • They established Quebec in 1608 and claimed land around the Mississippi River.

• Netherlands:

  • They created New Netherland in 1624 for trade.
  • This shows how important making money was for these countries.

Impact of Competition:

• Countries wanted to be better than each other, which led to wars like the Anglo-Spanish War from 1585 to 1604 and the French and Indian War from 1754 to 1763.

• The drive to compete economically led to creating trade routes and new colonies.

  • By the 1600s, Spain controlled 80% of the wealth coming from the New World.

This tough competition pushed countries to colonize and claim land. It also set the stage for future fights and the movements for independence in the Americas.