American Colonies Dbq

A-1: The pursuit of it's own imperial interests meant for a stronger England. Initially, the two main motives for colonizing were religious and economic. The colonization meant that England could exploit the natural resources in North America, which turned out to be a rather lucrative move. Additionally, the colonies would be able to spread Christianity. Although the production of crops required laborers, what was found was that the native peoples of America could either be conquered, or enslaved with little ease. In turn, the enslaved natives could produce crops that could be exported to Europe. Items like horses, sugar, and tobacco also had an impact on trade. In 1493, Christopher Columbus transported sugar canes to Hispaniola. Roughly 20

years later, plantations located in the Greater Antilles shipped sugar cane to Spain on a regular basis. The workers on the plantations were previously conquered and enslaved. Then, in America, the introduction of horses (either by trade or theft) changed the way natives waged war and the way they viewed wealth. War was now waged on horseback, and wealth was determined based on how many horses one owned. Finally, tobacco was encountered by Europeans in America. At first, tobacco was viewed as medicinal and so started the fad of smoking and chewing tobacco. Although King James I denounced the use, tobacco's popularity continued to increase after it’s introduction. Aside from that, there were more natural resources to be exploited.
In the 1500s, John Cabot discovered the plentiful amounts of fish that were near Newfoundland. Multiple countries including France, Spain, Portugal raced to exploit this newly discovered treasure. By the early 1570s, the English became partners with the Newfoundland fishery. The alliance led to England becoming a dominant power in the region. By the end of the 16th century,

A-2: There was a wide variety of social pressures that eventually led the English to abandon their homeland for the colonies In North America, starting with the importing of crops from North America, which surprisingly caused a downgrade of one's quality of life, among many other troubles. The imports caused the population of England to balloon. Starting around the year 1530, the English population doubled in size in a span of 150 years. In turn, the increase in population translated into locals competing for basic needs while also dealing with inflation. Clothing and food were therefore scarce. With a booming population also comes an influx in laborers. The result was an oversaturation of workers led to an overall decrease of wages. All of these issues, combined, led to more and more people falling into poverty. Finally, citizens that found themselves struggling to make ends meet and those that were homeless (or masterless as it was once called) set their sights to the new colonies. Aside from the populous England, the English saw changes in their religious freedom. In a move that would override the Pope's refusal to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII, in all his authority, formed The Church of England. Ultimately, Henry's goal was to reproduce with Anne Boleyn and have a male heir to the throne.
C-1: Sugar and Currency Act of 1764 - AKA Revenue Act. In addition to already existing rules and regulations, the Sugar and Currency Act of 1764 added additional regulations in imports from the colonies. This act was aimed to reduce the smuggling of molasses from the French. Furthermore, this act established a court in Halifax, Nova Scotia to prosecute violators. Aside from the new regulations, the Currency Act was also signed into law. The Currency Act outlawed almost all colonial paper money. The reasoning behind this, the lobbyists argued, was because Americans paid outstanding debts in "inflated local currencies."
C-1 :In conjunction, the two acts devastated an already depressed economy even more. At the conclusion of the Seven Years' War, the colonies experienced economic growth, but eventually saw an end. This meant that there were fewer buyers for imports, the military didn't have demand for American foods, which in turn hurt American farmers. All of the negatives of the two acts caused eight separate colonial governments to sent a request to the English Parliament to repeal the two devastating acts.
C-2: In 1765, The Stamp Act was signed.

The Stamp Act required that the majority of printed materials carry a special, watermarked, symbol. This new law mostly affected the elitist members of the colonies as they used the now-taxed items more than anyone. Moving forward, diplomas, dice, cards, licenses, and loans would carry a stamp tax. Additionally, if you accepted a government post, you would also be susceptible to the Stamp Act.

C-2: Secondly, the provision of the Stamp Act required that stamps be bought and paid for using sterling coin. Traditionally, the colonies practiced self-imposed taxation. The requirement to purchase stamps using sterling coin ultimately broke that practice.

Finally, violators of the rule would be tried in vice-admiralty courts. In these courts, Judges had the final say in the matter. This meant that the American facing trial would not have the chance to face a jury. However, Patrick Henry proposed a series of proposals to the Virginian House of Burgesses. While only four proposals were adopted, they implied that the colonists, in moving to the colonies, had ever forgone their rights as British citizens. Finally, it was decided that the colonists, mainly of Virginia, needn't pay taxes imposed by another foreign body, such as Parliament. Then, in 1766, the Stamp Act was repealed in its entirety by

Parliament.