Spanish and English communities
During the period of 1492 to 1790, the Spanish and English communities were significantly superior to the rest of European nations because they were in monarchial systems of leadership. The Spanish and English kingdoms were essentially ahead of the rest, including the natives and African Americans, because they were much organized and had strong military backing. The nations were also relatively stable and safe from internal wars that would have shaken up their internal peace. The peace and enjoyed by the Spanish and English communities during the period of 1492 to 1790 allowed them to venture into other lands to colonize and extend their territories. Spain, for example, sponsored the voyages by Christopher Columbus that led to the identification of the new world in 1492. All the four voyages conducted by Christopher Columbus emanated from Spain and were sponsored by the royal family of the Spanish crown, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Spain therefore had the right to lay claim on the newly found lands to the West. England had a good rapport with Spain at the time of discovery of the Americas, so both nations took turns in identifying areas of colonization to the West. All these activities were made possible by the advanced technologies that the two nations had in their possession. The voyages were sponsored by the ships that were built and commissioned in Spain. The fleet was further backed up with necessary supplies and military support just in case of any danger. Spain and England therefore had an early start the Americas ahead of their European counterparts. Spain and England were therefore unified and strong economically, politically, and culturally ahead of natives, Africans, and other European counterparts, allowing them to form charter societies.
Formation of charter societies first needed the military to establish colonies which the two countries would send their settlers. Strong military relies on advanced technological weapons to capture colonies. During the period of 1490s, Spain had advanced military weapons that had allowed them to capture other territories in Europe. Interestingly, by the time Spain was commissioning the first voyage of Christopher Columbus, they had just won the war against Muslim occupation in Granada on the Iberian Peninsula. Such victories provided evidence on the strength of the Spanish military, which allowed them to conquer natives on their bid to settle in the Americas. Spain had in its possession firearms, ammunition, and military ships, which allowed them to navigate both land and sea to attack their enemies. It was, therefore, possible to establish a community in the new world, set rules to be followed, and guard the settlements with soldiers. Another interesting innovation that the Spanish community had was the ability to draw maps that show new regions for occupation accurately. As such, it was easy to protect their colonies from external interruptions.
On the other hand, England also had established a strong military presence in a lot of territories. The technological advancements of their navy put them ahead of any military in the world. England was the undisputed king of the seas during the 1490s to 1790s because of their intelligence in the naval systems. Such technology allowed them to build up communities in the Americas and defend their rules and norms. The two nations, England and Spain, also had advanced knowledge of architecture, which enabled them to build institutions such as schools, hospitals, and social places in which they set their rules to be followed. All these advancements gave England and Spain an advantage over the natives and Americans who had no technical knowledge and mostly depended on traditional methods of survival. In the 1700s, the industrial revolution saw England put up factories that could transform raw products into finished ones. England, therefore, was a processing nation and had a considerable influence over the other countries who were forced to follow its rules even in the colonies.
Moreover, demographics favored the Spanish and English communities in the formation of charter societies in the Americas. Whereas other Europeans nations such as French, Dutch, and Germans only went to the Americas for trade, the Spanish and English went for both trade and land. America was vast land full of raw materials, so the French and Germans just went to acquire the raw products. However, for English, the vast land were opportunities to settle and create societies. The settlements allowed their numbers to increase and declare their possession over the colonies. The other nations were therefore forced to follow the rules already set by England or ship out. The English and Spanish settlements in the Americas by far outweighed their European counterparts. On the other hand, Africans were disadvantaged because they were taken to America as slaves and, therefore, could not force their rules and norms on any other community because even with their numbers, they were powerless. For the native Indians, their numbers were considerable, but they were multiplying at a slow rate as compared to the English and Spanish, who therefore slowly outnumbered them, thus creating stronger communities.
Economic factors behind the establishment of Spanish and English communities as charter societies in the Americas included the government’s willingness to sponsor exploration and settling abroad by the citizens. The exploration of the Americas was sponsored by joint-stock companies which had interests in profits and further occupation of the new territories. The Spanish and English communities therefore had enough financial back up to support their stay in the Americas. The money from joint-stock companies helped the English to build institutions in the Americas, thus establishing their presence. England and Spain also had a chartered organization called the Spanish Company, which was incorporated in 1604 to facilitate trade between the two countries. These companies played a significant role in supporting the establishment of Spanish and English societies in the Americas. Further, during the period of 1492 to 1790, England was on the biggest economic powerhouses of Europe with the capability of funding exploration to the new world. England became the first colonizer and therefore had a lot of territories around the world that were bringing in revenues through taxation. The tax policies implemented by England were very effective in boosting their economy, therefore providing money for activities such as settlement in the Americas. Spanish government equally had a strong economy, which allowed for the exploration of the new world and supported the settlement of its citizens. The natives and Africans were not economically stable as they were only used to provide labor to the European Communities, which owned plantations.
Politics probably played a very important role in English, becoming a charter society in the Americas. Most English who settled in the Americas were escaping from England due to both political and religious persecution. The main religion of England was the Church of England during the 1600s after King George VIII had separated from the Roman Catholic. However, the Puritans still felt that the Church of England still had residues of the Roman Catholic Church. Their desire for changes led to massive religious persecution, which forced the Puritans to leave England for the search for religious freedom. These groups found their way to the Americas and began setting rules to govern themselves and anyone who came after them. Therefore there was no choice of going against the Puritans in America. They even transformed Africans and Natives into Puritanism, thereby creating both social and political rules to be followed in their societies. Additionally, most Spanish and English settlers in America used the advanced political systems of their mother countries to establish their political superiority over other communities in the Americas. England had both the monarchy and the parliamentary systems, which was an excellent system to use in the control of their territories in America. Spain was mainly monarchial but still had their colonies follow the rules of the mother country. The political stability in Spain and England was an added advantage in the fight to secure control over colonies in America. Other countries in such as France and Germany were undergoing political instabilities in their countries, thus acting against them in the bid to have control over colonies in the Americas. The natives did not have established political systems, and therefore most of their activities were communally based. Africans were so disjointed due to slavery that they could not mount any political affiliations. The only communities with established political strategies were Spanish and English, allowing them to become charter societies.
In addition, Spanish and English communities were so advanced both socially and culturally. They had developed social rules that had different classes that were close-knit and had unity. Mostly, the people who went to the Americas were the ones who did not own properties back in their country or the middle class who wished to start their businesses. The Americas were, therefore, a chance for redemption of many people, and this allowed them to work harder and implement social rules that could govern them. The Native Americans and Africans did not have well established social status and had to learn from the Spanish and English, which therefore allowed the two communities to be able to set social standards making them charter societies. The culture of England also involved communities staying together; therefore, that helped them build stronger communities in the Americas, allowing them to set norms through sheer numbers.
In conclusion, the Spanish and English were unified and strong economically, politically, and culturally ahead of natives, Africans, and other European counterparts, allowing them to form charter societies. The most significant fact is that two communities also got to America ahead of other European nations allowing them time to settle down and create long lasting societies. The other European nations were therefore playing catch up to the Spanish and English societies. The superiority of Spanish and English cultures also gave them an edge over other communities hence allowing them to form charter societies. The economies of the two nations also played a part in their establishment as charter societies.