Colonial Unification Dbq

Colonial Unification

" Societies take their shape from any number of forming elements, some roughly

identifiable, some obscure and mysterious. There is a strange interplay between

ideas and geography, between thought and the landscape that thought encounters;

between inherited ideas and acquired environment." (pg 152 Smith, Page A

New Age Now Begins)

History has shown us that in order for a society to flourish there must be some commonality within the society. Sharing similar values, interests and cultures may be the basis for forming a community. The true test of a society is when communities can comprise, merging together as a larger, stronger, united society. For this process to even begin, there must be a common factor, be it foe, economic reasons, etc., a common goal amongst the communities. A prime example is the creation of a united American society. To truly appreciate the complexity of forming a united society you must first understand why these groups of people came to this strange new land. What similarities they shared, the differences which divided them and the force which unified them.

In the early 16th century immigrants from England fled their country in search of a better life. They fled their homelands for many reasons; poverty, religious intolerance and persecution, others in search of an adventure or for a new start. They packed up their families and possessions some even brought their servants, embarking on a perilous journey across the Atlantic Ocean and reached the land known today as America. The first of the immigrants landed in two regions; the Massachusetts bay and the Chesapeake Bay. Both these regions would soon be colonies known as Massachusetts and Virginia, both major colonies. Throughout the years more and more people started to flee their homelands in Europe and come to America.

Soon there were colonists from all over the world, from Europe to Africa. By 1732 there were a total of thirteen English colonies. Those thirteen colonies were broken up in three sections, the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies.

These colonies had their differences and these differences attracted different kinds of people to the colonies. For example many large religious families immigrated towards the New England and Middle Colonies because that is were most of the religious tolerance was. Pennsylvania was known as the "Quaker Haven" because of its tolerance to many religions. Delaware was also an extremely tolerant place. They were even tolerant towards the religion of Judaism.