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The largest claimants of land in the New World were the Spanish, following a decision of the Pope in the 16th century to allow them all of the Americas. The Portuguese, in the same decision, were offered Africa and India. Ignoring this the English established colonies in the area now known as Georgia and Virginia, but without wider claims. New England was settled by Puritan English. The French explored up the Mississippi, founding New Orleans, St Louis and Montreal. These were outposts for the use of fur traders.
Other owners of American soil were the Russians who claimed Alaska and the Dutch who settled New York and New Jersey. The Spanish still claimed all of South and Central America and North America west of the Mississippi River.

By the mid 18th century the British had removed the French from Montreal and the Dutch from New York. Following the voyages of Cook and Vancouver they were also discovering the Pacific Coast and claimed British Columbia and Oregon. However in the American revolutionary war they lost the Eastern States and then concentrated their efforts in creating Canada. The defeat of Spain by Napoleon gave the American government an opportunity to conclude the Louisiana Purchase (1803), where nearly one million square miles of the mid-west, that technically belonged to Spain, was sold to the US by France.

Following the independence of Mexico from Spain (1821) it was the duty of the Mexican government to protect their northern provinces of Texas, New Mexico and California from settlement by Americans. However in 1848, following the US Mexican war, they were forced to give up these to the US Government for $30 million. In 1867 the US Government purchased Alaska from the Russians for $7.2 million.

Almost four hundred and ten years after claiming the continent, Spain lost its last two territories in the new World, in 1898, as Cuba became independent and Puerto Rico became American.

by Keith Milburn, and Katelynne Byrd

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12y ago

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