Survey of United States History

Essay, Pages 7 (1747 words)

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Part A1

The political motivations for English Imperialism were predominately based on the desire to power. Since Europe was not as wealthy or powerful as other nations, they felt that if they could acquire products such as food seasonings and medicines their balance of trade and it’sits standing would be comparable to that of other countries. Therefore, they began looking for an easier trade route to Africa and Asia in hopes of accessing the resources these lands had to offer.

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(Norton, 2015)

Part A2

The social pressures that contributed to English colonization of North America were both economic and religion-based. The plentiful fishing initially enticed Europeans to migrate to North America. However, once they arrived, settlers quickly realized they could considerably increase profits by trading cloth and metal goods for beaver pelts to transport back to Europe for hat making. In North America, there was also easy access to many African and Asian goods such as silk, dyes, gold, and spices.

Spices were in high demand because, in addition to seasoning foods, they served many medicinthe religiousal purposes. Europeans believed that acquiring these goods would drastically boost their social status and improve their trading with other countries. (Norton, 2015)

The desire to spread Christianity around the world played a significant role in the English colonization of North America. Explorers and colonizers would attempt to convert heathen people while simultaneously establishing direct trade with China, India, Africa, and the Moluccas. Another driving factor was the settler's desire to have religious freedom. In England people were forced to live and worship in certain ways, however, they believed that colonizing North America would allow them the ability to worship in their ways.

(Norton, 2015)

Part B

English Colonies in America Table. Economic Systems. Social Characteristics Political Systems

Massachusetts Bay

Women made up 40% of the migrants coming to Massachusetts Bay.
Migrants often traveled in family groups and with others from their towns.
Most settlers brought goods and livestock with them.
Merchants founded the Massachusetts Bay Company in 1629.
They kept livestock to provide meat.
Sons followed in their father's footsteps, while daughters learned from their mothers.
Cotton, tobacco, salt, and African slaves were commodities that were commonly bought and sold.
Puritan congregations were key institutions
Regular reevaluation of one's soul was expected of all devout Calvinists.
Charles I tried to repress Puritan practices.
Puritans believed they were chosen by God for a special mission to America.
New Englanders were required to attend all religious services.
All schools were bible basedbiblebased bible -of basedministersareligiousthe medicine as were all criminal prosecutions.
New England families were large, and the average woman would raise between five and seven healthy children.
Each family was given a plot of land around the town center; however, the more prominent families and minister were given larger parcels than common settlers.
Had an agreement signed by the passengers aboard the Mayflower known as the Mayflower Compact to establish order in the new land
The only settlers allowed to vote were adult landowning males who attended church.
In October 1629, John Winthrop was elected as the first Massachusetts Bay governor.
Winthrop organized the great Puritan migration.
The joint-stock company charter was gradually transformed from the general court into a colonial legislature by the leaders of the Massachusetts Bay.
Within two decades of its founding had a fully functioning system of self-government consisting of a governor and two-house legislature.

Virginia

An organized joint-stock company, known as the Virginia Company was started by a group of wealthy gentry and merchants.
Tobacco was the biggest cash crop and by the late 1620s settlersthe annual shipments had increased to 1.5 million pounds.ettlers had individual farms and believed that any uncultivated land was property of the English monarchy.
Colonial leader Captain John Smith made an alliance with Powhatan in 1607, promising to give Powhatan guns, hatchets, and swords in exchange for foodstuffs. The alliance failed due to mutual mistrust.
Without the assistance of Powhatan Jamestown experienced a starving period during the winter of 1609-1610 causing hundreds to perish.
In 1646, after several years of fighting, the Powhatan confederacy survivors officially subordinated themselves to England.
The English had deep religious beliefs and observed well-defined gender roles.
Believing their civilization was superior, Englishmen expected natives to convert to Christianity and adopt their customs.
The English viewed Indian men as lazy because they chose to hunt instead of farmingalliedfarmPowhatan's.
Settlers kidnapped Powhatans daughter Pocahontas in 1613. She married a colonist while in captivity, initiating a period of peace between the Indians and the English.
Political and military leaders ruled autocratically.
The “headright” system, organized in 1617, promised fifty acres of land to every new arrival that payedpaid theirthetheirfarmingled led own way.
Landowning men of the major Virginia settlements were authorized by the Company to elect representatives to the House of Burgesses.
Virginia was transformed into a Royal Colony in 1624 by James I.
James I quickly abolished the assembly but kept the headright policy.
Due to ,protesting efforts of the settlers, the House of Burgesses was functioning again by 1629.

The Carolinas

Fertile land was ideal for producing figs, olives, wines, and silk.
Settlers raised corn and cattle which were sold to Caribbean planters to feed their slaves.
Tobacco and forest products were the main cash crops.
The settlers relied on trade with the Indians for commodities they could sell elsewhere. Deerskin and enslaved Indians were the biggest commodities of these trades.
Because of the sugar revolution, many people migrated from Barbados to South Carolina.
Like many other colonies, men hunted and fished, and the women tended to the crops.
Christianity, Catholicism andBeforebeforeand before before Before ProtestantismSome several major ideas and events ledYear'sled were the three main religions.
Between thirty thousand and fifty thousand Indian Slaves were exported before 1715.
John Locke outlined a colony governed by landowning aristocrats with a structured distribution of economic and political power.
Carolina did not follow Locke’s plan and decided to develop two distinct population centers.
In 1729 the two population centers split into separate colonies under royal rule.

References:

Norton, M.B. (2015). A people & a nation. Retrieved from https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/53540310

Part C

There were several major ideas and events that led to the American Revolution, of these the enlightenment philosophies were perhaps the most influential. The enlightenment was a time when people were becoming more educated and beginning to understand ideas that were previously only understood by philosophers. Philosophers challenged the previous ways of thinking, leading to a change in politics, society, and even the church. John Locke played a large part in this change with his book Two Treatises of Government, which elaborated on the natural rights of life, liberty, and property. He explained that government should be limited and needs to serve the people by keeping their rights safe. Locke felt that the government had failed to protect the people and should be forced out. Locke’s radical ideas were so inspiring that the people of the colonies began to stand up for themselves and seek true independence. (Norton, 2015)

The Sugar Act was another driving force that lead to the American Revolution. After the Seven Years War ended, England had a large amount of debt. To recover their losses, British Parliament passed the Sugar Act in 1764. The purpose of the Sugar Act was to raise revenue by taxing colonial imports, most notably, the sugar trade. The colonies protested, unsuccessfully, to get the Sugar Act repealed. The next year, the British government added the Stamp Act to the already heavily burdened colonists. The Stamp Act required colonists to purchase and use special watermarked paper for all newspapers, customs documents, licenses, diplomas, and other legal forms used for recovering debt, buying land, or making wills, this lead to heavy protesting and demonstrations. An intercolonial group known as the Sons of Liberty was formed to resist the Stamp Act. In the spring of 1776, they were successful, and Parliament finally repealed the Stamp Act. However, the repeal came with stipulations, mainly the Declaratory Act, which informed colonies that Britain held just as much power there as it did in Britain itself. This added even more tension to the colonies’ relationship with Britain, greatly contributing to the American Revolution. (Norton, 2015)

Part D

Although many people were affected by the American Revolution in some way, the groups most affected were the Native Americans, African Americans, and women. Prior to the Revolution, Indian men were free to hunt and trap wherever they wanted while Indian women worked on farms. However, after the revolution, settlers took away most of their land and tried to force them to conform to American laws and customs. The American people felt that Indian men were savages because they spent their time hunting, therefore they had a goal to civilize them. Americans also felt that women should spend their time raising children and doing household chores, not working on farms. Henry Knox proposed that the American government needed to give livestock and agricultural training to Indian men. While the Indians were cautious of these new ways, they eventually became more receptive due to the visions of a Seneca man named Handsome Lake. He encouraged them to adopt the Europealed themedicinen sexual division of labor and learn to farm in ortoThisder to retain their Iroquois autonomy. (Norton, 2015)

During the Revolution, many African Americans were promised freedom in exchange for their military service. Once the Revolution was over though, many African Americans were returned to slavery. Thus, ing to many enslaved African Americans petitioned the courts for freedom, graduallywhich gradually their settlers graduallythetheir ledthei lead ledgradually to the abolition of slavery in the north. Despite their legal freedom, discrimination was still rampant, leading to segregated neighborhoods. Even though African Americans were now able to receive an education, go to church, and own property, they were not allowed to vote or have any voice in the American government. (Norton, 2015)

Women were always responsible for the education of their children, but after the American Revolution women had to teach their children Republicanism on top of the regularly taught religion and etiquette. Daughters were taught so they could teach their own children one day and sons were taught so that they could join in on political discourse. This caused more women to seek formal schooling and a large rise in women joining in on political discussions. As they became more educated, women began to push for their own rights as citizens, which many men viewed as threatening. (Norton, 2015)