Street_Disciple
Banned
The Spainards did colonize parts of North America. First they explored much of South Florida under Ponce de Leon and Navarez but were meet by the very hostile Indians around Tampa who kill deLeon and drive off the Spanish. In the 1560's they establish the oldest settlement in the North America St Agustine Florida and spread out missions across north Florida. They attract few colonists because of the hostile Indians and no gold. In the 1540's Hernado DeSoto explores the south and southern plains only to die on the Mississippi and his force of over 600 men now reduced to 60 is driven down the river by very hostile tribes. Other expeditions in the south under Juan Padro follow in nthe 1560's. In the southwest there are early expeditions into the southwest which withdraw not finding gold. In the 1580's Coranado colonises the Rio Grande region now called New Mexico and parts of Arizona around the Zuni Pueblos. There are attempts at colonies in Texas and as far north as modern Arkansas. In the 1760's the Spainards colonize California. They had established a mission in the Chesapeake Bay. It was later wiped out by Powhatten prior to the Roanoak Colony. So the Spainsh did colonize North America and did so even before the northern Europeans arrive.
Now had they entered I think we would see today a nation or perhaps several nations like Mexico in population. Racially mixed Hispano-Afro-Indian with a small population in the northern regions. It would be Catholic in faith, Spanish speaking and undemocratic much like the states in Latin America. Now had Spain encouraged it's Catholic Italian, German, Walloon(Belgian) friends and vassels to settle here the story would be quite different. To accomplish this Spain needed colonists like the Germans who settle southern Chile, used to cold wet weather, long winters and deep forests. Had Spain made North America a refuge for Catholics from Ireland, Poland, Croatia, and Germany to settle under her " imperial guidance". Then she might have stood a chance of controlling North America outside of the southwest and Florida.
To pull off what you propose Spain needed a population of farmer colonists used to cold, wet weather and deep forest which she simply did not have. There would be far less of a racial problem then there is today even if slavery would have existed here longer, not being abandonded in the Hispanic world until 1880.
I do think there would still have been a revolution against Spain influenced by the French Revolution. The juntas set up here would, like those in Latin America preach democracy while doing everything to prevent it's establishment. The biggest affect would be that capitalism and democracy would not be widespread if they existed at all outside of Britain and her empire. Also the Americas would have been closed to non-Catholic settlement by other Europeans per Spainsh law. This would have severly limited Europes growth and the growth of North America.The only problem with this scenario is that the Spainards were interested in gold so to them the land, even the rich black soil belt of the deep south so coveted by English and American cotton planters waqs all but ignored.
Now had they entered I think we would see today a nation or perhaps several nations like Mexico in population. Racially mixed Hispano-Afro-Indian with a small population in the northern regions. It would be Catholic in faith, Spanish speaking and undemocratic much like the states in Latin America. Now had Spain encouraged it's Catholic Italian, German, Walloon(Belgian) friends and vassels to settle here the story would be quite different. To accomplish this Spain needed colonists like the Germans who settle southern Chile, used to cold wet weather, long winters and deep forests. Had Spain made North America a refuge for Catholics from Ireland, Poland, Croatia, and Germany to settle under her " imperial guidance". Then she might have stood a chance of controlling North America outside of the southwest and Florida.
To pull off what you propose Spain needed a population of farmer colonists used to cold, wet weather and deep forest which she simply did not have. There would be far less of a racial problem then there is today even if slavery would have existed here longer, not being abandonded in the Hispanic world until 1880.
I do think there would still have been a revolution against Spain influenced by the French Revolution. The juntas set up here would, like those in Latin America preach democracy while doing everything to prevent it's establishment. The biggest affect would be that capitalism and democracy would not be widespread if they existed at all outside of Britain and her empire. Also the Americas would have been closed to non-Catholic settlement by other Europeans per Spainsh law. This would have severly limited Europes growth and the growth of North America.The only problem with this scenario is that the Spainards were interested in gold so to them the land, even the rich black soil belt of the deep south so coveted by English and American cotton planters waqs all but ignored.