Final answer:
The key differences between Spanish and English colonization include the inclusion of indigenous populations in colonial society by the Spanish versus their exclusion by the English, different land use with the Spanish encomendero system contrasting British family farms, distinctly separate governance with Spanish direct control versus British self-governance, and the impact of transatlantic distance on the administration of each empire.
Step-by-step explanation:
The biggest difference between early Spanish colonies and English colonies in the Americas relates to four main areas: their settlers, governance, land use, and relations with indigenous peoples.
When it comes to relationships with indigenous peoples, the Spanish included them in their colonial project. They allowed for mestizos and natives to live in their own communities, provided they paid tribute and adopted Catholicism. In contrast, the English approach was more exclusionary, generally pushing indigenous peoples off the land.
In terms of land arrangements, the Spanish had a system of encomenderos and later hacenderos employing indigenous and mestizo workers, whereas the British promoted individual family farms. This difference shaped economic and social attitudes in the colonies.
Governance was also markedly different. The Spanish crown exerted direct control through appointed officials from Spain. The British colonies, in contrast, developed their own forms of self-governance, with legislatures and town-hall meetings contributing to a culture of autonomy and independence. These divergent systems of governance would later bear significance during periods of colonial unrest and revolution.
Finally, the sheer distance between the colonies and the mother countries was a significant challenge for both empires, but it played a more profound role in shaping the Spanish colonial administration due to their direct governance model. The British system allowed more autonomy, shaped by a greater sense of self-governance due to parliamentary traditions.