Monday, January 5, 2015

What would have happened if Spain had conquered all of North America?

"What if" questions are always problematic in history. They provide a source for speculation, but they remain conjecture. If Spain had conquered all of North America, there would have been linguistic, political, and historical consequences.
The primary languages of North America today are English and, to a lesser extent, French. Those two countries dominated North America after Spain's fleet was defeated in 1588. If Spain had colonized North America, Spanish would have become dominant there as well as in South America.
The creation of the United States in the late eighteenth century stemmed from its connection to England. The Magna Carta (1215), the ideas of John Locke, and other English historical precedents inspired America's Founding Fathers. The American Revolution was a unique and profound event that shaped the world.

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