How did the French and Dutch colonies in North America differ from the Spanish empire in the South?

The main
differences were size, administration, and purpose. New Spain occupied land in both North and
South America while the Dutch owned some islands in the Caribbean and the area around the Hudson
River. The French owned a great deal of the North American interior, but they could only claim
it in name as they could only send fur trappers, traders, and missionaries there.

The Dutch set up the colony of New Amsterdam for trade. They did not make any efforts
to convert the natives living in the region since the Netherlands was famous as a place of
religious toleration. The Dutch traders resented their leader and were more than happy to defect
to the English, thus making New Amsterdam New York and ending Dutch rule in the Americas. The
Spanish conquistadors exploited cheap Indian labor for plantation work and converted the natives
their to Catholicism. They were not given any choice as the Spanish imposed their language and
culture on the natives. Over the course of many generations the...