When examining the European contact with the Western Hemisphere between 1492-1607, are these contacts and settlements by the Spanish, English, French, and the Dutch most remarkable for their similarities or for their differences? If you argue similarities, then you must provide evidence of broad, overarching similarities among those countries. If you argue differences, then you must provide evidence that each country had mostly unique experiences when exploring and settling the New World. Provide specific evidence.

Explanation:

How did European nations differ in their colonization of the Western Hemisphere? ... Women and men also experienced distinct treatments based on what empire they were colonized by. For example, Spaniards married native women and even had Spanish women in the elite class, something which was not seen in British colonies. Motivations for colonization: The French colonized North America to create trading posts for the fur trade. ... The original intent of Dutch colonization was to find a path to Asia through North America, but after finding the fur trade profitable, the Dutch claimed the area of New Netherlands. By the beginning of the seventeenth century, Spain’s rivals—England, France, and the Dutch Republic—had each established an Atlantic presence, with greater or lesser success, in the race for imperial power. None of the new colonies, all in the eastern part of North America, could match the Spanish possessions for gold and silver resources. Nonetheless, their presence in the New World helped these nations establish claims that they hoped could halt the runaway growth of Spain’s Catholic empire. English colonists in Virginia suffered greatly, expecting riches to fall into their hands and finding reality a harsh blow. However, the colony at Jamestown survived, and the output of England’s islands in the West Indies soon grew to be an important source of income for the country. New France and New Netherlands were modest colonial holdings in the northeast of the continent, but these colonies’ thriving fur trade with native peoples, and their alliances with those peoples, helped to create the foundation for later shifts in the global balance of power.