THE HISTORY OF COLONIAL NORTH AMERICA centers primarily around the struggle of England, France, and Spain to gain control of the continent. Settlers crossed the Atlantic for different reasons, and their governments took different approaches to their colonizing efforts. These differences created both advantages and disadvantages that profoundly affected the New World’s fate. France and Spain, for instance, were governed by autocratic sovereigns whose rule was absolute; their colonists went to America as servants of the Crown. The English colonists, on the other hand, enjoyed far more freedom and were able to govern themselves as long as they followed English law and were loyal to the king. In addition, unlike France and Spain, England encouraged immigration from other nations, thus boosting its colonial population. By 1763 the English had established dominance in North America, having defeated France and Spain in the French and Indian War. However, those regions that had been colonized by the French or Spanish would retain national characteristics that linger to this day