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Impact of geography and the environment on development in the english colonies
Role(s) of religion in North American colonial society
The role of religion in the colonial age
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One may argue the statement that “Geography was the primary factor in shaping the development of the British colonies in North America” is not true for a handful of reasons. Though New England and Virginia were founded by people of the same country and in different regions, the successes and failures of the colonies prove that, overall, the organization and amount of corruption or argument a colony had within it were more crucial to survival than the geographic surroundings. In the 1600s, the success of British colonies was based on the structure and organization of the colony rather than the geography of the region they settled in. If a colony’s ability to survive was based on the factor of geography alone, one would expect a colony of a warmer climate would have an advantage over a colony in a bitterly cold climate; however this proves untrue. The colonies of New England suffered terribly cold winters, yet their rates …show more content…
of survival were higher than that of Virginia, a colony with much milder weather year-round. This is entirely because the structure and organization of New England’s colonies were stronger than the ones in Virginia. One reason population remained constant (and even growing) within New England was because the majority of its immigrants moved with their families, rather than as single servants in Virginia who often were overworked through their servitude and perished. Another reason the colonies of New England thrived when colonies of Virginia did not was the amount of conflict to be found in either region.
The colonists of New England had great trust in their leaders of the time, and because there was little or no conflict with them, they could focus more on developing the colonies, growing crops, and making money. In addition to this, clergies held absolutely no political power, therefore corruption within the church and the government was not to be found. Virginian colonists, on the other hand, were almost combative to their leaders. They constantly questioned the authority of government figures because they were most often elites who did not consider the common person in their decisions. Bacon’s Rebellion is an excellent example of the amount leaders in the region provoked citizens, as well as the amount of discord which could be found in Virginia. Events such as the burning down of Jamestown distracted Virginians from focusing on ways to steady their economy and prevent famine within their
communities. The last major struggle both colonies faced was famine, though the New England colonies found better solutions to this issue than the colonists of Virginia.The colonies of New England were more often than not bound to the same mercantilistic expectations of crop production as Virginia was, though colonists in New England had an advantage. The colonists of Virginia had terrible relations with Indians of their area, and they often fought. This costed their colonies taxes and time to keep these fights going. The New Englanders were more peaceful than the Virginians, and they became great friends with some of the Indians in their region. Because they were on good terms with Indians, they were able to trade crops such as corn with them in addition to their trading with England. This way, they had some extra commerce and wealth in the colony, making survival easier for those residing there.
Thesis: The Roanoke colony proved to be an unsuccessful venture in the New World for England, since leaders of the expedition held the viewpoint that privateering would prove to be the most profitable aspect of founding the new settlements in the West. However future, still unsuccessful attempts to make a permanent colony at Roanoke, helped England understand how to build a prosperous one; and it became a building block for establishing future colonies for England and helped shape the ideas that would help launch their empire.
Just like their religions, Massachusetts gave more power to the people and Virginia gave power to England. In the New England Handout, Mailer describes the difference further, “Unlike in Virginia where a governor is elected from a faraway company in London, and after 1624, by the Crown itself, the ‘freemen’ of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire elect their own governors.” (1) This information describes the contrast in the way a governor gets elected. In Massachusetts, the “freemen”, men who own land, get to vote for their governor, while Virginia’s governor gets appointed by the crown. Virginia’s government also consisted of the Governing Council, rich elites controlling everything, and the House of Burgesses, upper middle-class landowners. The main reason the governments of these colonies differ is the fact that the charter of Virginia created by the Virginia Company resides in England, or in other words it is controlled by the crown. On the other hand, Massachusetts’s charter, created by the Massachusetts Bay Company, resides in the colony, so the colony self-governs itself. This brings forth another comparison of the two colonies; the reason why they were founded.
While both the people of the New England region and of the Chesapeake region descended from the same English origin, by 1700 both regions had traveled in two diverse directions. Since both of these groups were beset with issues that were unique to their regions and due to their exposure to different circumstances, each was forced to rethink and reconstruct their societies. As a result, the differences in the motivation, geography, and government in the New England and Chesapeake regions caused great divergence in the development of each.
During colonial times, European nations quickly colonized the New World years after Columbus’ so called discovery. England in particular sent out a number of groups to the east coast of the New World to two regions. These areas were the New England and the Chesapeake regions. Later in the late 1700s, these two regions would go though many conflicts to come together as one nation. Yet, way before that would occur; these two areas developed into two distinct societies. These differences affected the colonies socially, economically, and politically.
The British Empire has had a long lasting and strong influence on the American colonies for over three centuries. From the 16th century all the way to the 18th century, the British empire has held power within the colonies in terms of legislature, economy, and social stature. The British’s rule has been both a positive and negative driving force
During the late 16th century and into the 17th century, European nations rapidly colonized the newly discovered Americas. England in particular sent out numerous groups to the eastern coast of North America to two regions. These two regions were known as the Chesapeake and the New England areas. Later, in the late 1700's, these two areas would bond to become one nation. Yet from the very beginnings, both had very separate and unique identities. These differences, though very numerous, spurred from one major factor: the very reason the settlers came to the New World. This affected the colonies in literally every way, including economically, socially, and politically.
The American colonies new England ,middle and southern colonies were very similar but different.The New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies grew differently over the period on 1619-1760. The three sets of colonies will prove that they were all different. There is hugely different between each other and style to lived. Such as, economics and agriculture.In this essay,
It is evident then, that geography and climate greatly shaped the lifestyles of the early colonies. The frigid North had the close knit towns, smaller farms and central governing bodies. The moderate climate of the Middle colonies allowed for prosperous farming, trade and, opportunity. Large plantations ruled the Southern Colonies with their scattered settlements and independently-run lifestyles.
While under English control, each of the three regions of colonial America developed its own economic system- plantation agriculture was based in the Southern colonies, but other sectors of the economy flourished in the Northern and Middle colonies (along with some forms of agriculture). The natural resources that were available at the time provided the foundation for each region’s unique specialty. However, one could argue that these economies eventually led to the development of certain social issues within colonial society, such as the cruelty of slavery, the Salem Witch Trials, and even the lack of available labor in Maryland.
The Chesapeake Bay Colonies and the New England Colonies were both colonized by the British, but both regions were vastly different from one another. The English-Native American relations remained tense since the moment the English arrived, and the results of the war was the same: English won, Indians lost. The Chesapeake and New England were both influenced by the geographical differences and lead to a difference in economic values as well as governments. The Chesapeake and New England were both established for different reasons: to expand an empire and to get away from religious prosecution. The oversea British Empire was the most dominant in the world, and even though the colonies were all “British”, they are all vastly different from one another.
During the years of 1675 and 1676 the North American colonies experienced conflicts that shaped the dynamics of their colonial life. King Phillip's War would effectively end relations between the New England colonists and the Indians. Also, the rebellion in Virginia led by Nathaniel Bacon stressed the growing discontent of poor frontier farmers for British rule. The consequences of these two events clearly had an impact on different levels that would extend well beyond their time. Therefore, the years 1675 and 1676 played a very significant role in the Northern American colonies.
By the time the colonists had settled into their new land they had established some order such as small governments to keep the colonies in line. The ocean separating England and the colonies made it difficult though for England to guide the colonists successfully the way they had wanted. The main thing the British tried was implementing taxes, but they also went so far as letting the colonies on their own for awhile and using military to keep them in place. On the other hand, the colonists saw that the British were stalling their attempts at self-governing so they worked together to disregard any British policies. By the eve of the Revolution, colonists had developed a sense of their identity and unity as Americans that was brought about by the British parliament. Exasperated by British efforts to hinder their growing self-reliance, colonists began pushing them away by doing various things such as rioting, boycotting, or voicing their opinions on paper.
...ve in Virginia did not mean immigrants were free from its rule. Upon departing England, those leaving would take an “oath of allegiance and supremacy” (Virginia Ship’s List). This meant that the people owed their loyalty to the monarch of England, not to Virginia itself. The colonists of Virginia could have been frustrated that their head official was chosen by a single person, a person who had no place within their community. In fact, Berkeley, the governor the monarch of England elected, “brought high taxes on the people, increased his power at the expense of local officials and created a monopoly on Indian trade” (Divine, 85). This abuse of power is possibly one of the causes of rebellions, specifically Bacon’s rebellion. This republic government leading the Virginia Colony was an increasingly stark contrast to the Massachusetts’ Colony’s democratic government.
This led many to believe that North America wouldn't be a hard place to survive – an assumption that would prove both incorrect and dangerous. Many of the first settlers in America failed to bring adequate supplies because they were not anticipating such harsh conditions. For example, the Jamestown colony of Virginia was founded in May of 1607, and the settlers were vastly unprepared for nearly every aspect of colonial life. Though what a new colony like Jamestown needed was farmers and craftsmen, most of the settlers who'd come over from Europe were well-off, used to being waited upon and pampered. The new colonists were extremely averse to the sort of physical labor needed to make a colony successful, or even to prepare the colony for the coming winter. As a result of this, more than a third of the colonists died the following winter. Similarly, Pilgrims who settled in Plymouth in 1620 arrived unprepared for the harsh winter, despite the numerous colonies before them who had shared the same problem. About half of the settlers were dead by 1621. In 1628, colonists of the Massachusetts Bay colony arrived in what is modern-day Boston, and it happened again – about 1/3 of the original colonists died because they were not prepared for winter. Despite many colonies suffering through the same problem, companies and government officials continued to send hundreds of citizens off unprepared, to face horrible challenges, and sometimes death. Many of these deaths could have been prevented, had the leaders of the colonies attempted to learn from past mistakes and adequately arm their citizens for the coming
Bacon rebellion was an armed rebellion against the rule of Governor Berkeley, it was mainly carried by Virginia settlers. It mainly affected American colonist and Native Americans. Bacon's rebellion was a revolt by farmers, a group of settlers, slaves who were fighting against the government corruption. The revolt was led by young settler Nathaniel bacon in 1676 Virginia, he was from rich family and his cousin was governor. Though William Berkeley and Bacon were related to each other as a family but they did not go very well and often had disagreements with each other. Many people thought that William Berkeley was the main cause of the rebellion. Governor refused whenever bacon went to him for the commission. One major drawback of Governor Berkeley’s policy was that when it came to Native Americans, he wanted to maintain peace and good relations. It was because he did not want to spoil trade relations with them. This was one of the main reason for not allowing commissions to attack them.