More handpicked essays just for you.
Historians discuss columbian exchange
Historians discuss columbian exchange
Historians discuss columbian exchange
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Puritans in the New World
Puritans were a section of the Church of England that wanted the church to change completely all aspects that linked them to the Roman Catholic Church. In the early 17th century, King Charles got into a union with France through marriage in preparation for the war with Spain (Heimert & Delbanco, 1985). Puritans feared that the Roman Catholic Church would be restored in England and coupled with the fact that Charles was blocking reforms in the Church of England, they requested the government to allow them to set up their own colony. They established the Massachusetts Bay Colony where they could remain English citizens but still practice their religion how they saw fit (Heimert & Delbanco, 1985). Unlike previous colonies
…show more content…
that had moved to America mostly for financial gain, theirs was a religious migration. Although, the pilgrims also migrated for religious purposes, they are different from Puritans in that their aims were to completely separate from the Church of England and form their own congregation (Heimert & Delbanco, 1985). The Puritans faced numerous challenges in America that can be broadly classified into three areas; religious, political, and societal. Religion was the principle pillar in a Puritans life; it was in all aspects including governance. The close relationship between the church and the state was a problem for Roger Williams, and he spoke out against it, among other issues. The officials reacted by banishing him and his followers, a similar fate faced other dissenters such as Ann Hutchinson (Heimert & Delbanco, 1985). In the political structure, only landholding men could hold office in the General Court [the governing body]. This caused a lot of tensions and the restrictions were eased to allow all Puritan men the chance to hold office. The societal challenges came mainly from relations with the native Indians; previous colonies had frosty relations that sometimes led to wars (). The Puritans, to avoid the bloodshed, chose to deal amicably with the Indians and tried to assimilate them into the puritan lifestyle (Vaughan, 1965). The Atlantic World Following the travels of Columbus and other early European explorers to the New World, European nations got access to previously uncharted territories.
They also got direct routes to places that they previously could only access through expensive land routes such as Asia and some parts of West Africa (Thornton & Thornton, 1998). These explorations led to an unprecedented turn in human history that referred to as the Atlantic World (Kidd, 2006). The Atlantic world was comprised of interactions between Europe, the New World [Americas and neighboring islands], and Africa. The major players were the French, Spanish, Dutch, and English with unwilling participation from African slaves and Natives of the New World such as the Red Indians. The cross-cultural interactions had various long-term effects that included the Columbian exchange, changes in demographics, and the forging of races.
The Colombian exchange refers to the transfer of foods, diseases, medicines, populations, ideas between the New World and the Old World. From the New World, the Old World gained a lot such as cassava that became the staple food in West Africa, new supplies of metal, and tobacco; which was used as a form of currency at some point. The exchange also had some drastic effects, Nunn and Qian (2010) note that the discovery of quinine assisted the Europeans in colonizing the Old World especially
Africa. As European nations acquired more land in the new world they needed cheap labor to be able to utilize the land efficiently; this need gave birth to the slave trade. It is estimated that over 12 million were transported to the Americas as slaves (Thornton & Thornton, 1998). This high migration coupled with the high mortality of Natives from the diseases that came from the Old World resulted in a shift in demographics in some parts of the Americas in favor of Africans and Europeans (Thornton & Thornton, 1998). Kidd (2006) in his book notes that today’s racial classifications of white, black, Hispanic, Asians, and such have no biological basis. Then it can be concluded that these classifications must have developed during moments in history when these ‘races’ interacted. One significant moment of interaction was in the Atlantic World. Chesapeake and New England Colonies During the early 17th century, European nations rapidly colonized the new world. England was not left behind in this rush and through trial and error was able to establish two stable colonies. The two colonies were the Chesapeake and New England colonies (Bailyn, 1955). England saw a rapid rise in population in the 16th century that brought drastic changes to the nation. Amidst this chaos, many people wanted stability and wealth that saw a massive migration to the new world not experienced before in other colonies. The Migrants chose either to settle in Chesapeake, or New England and this decision was dependent on their reason for migrating. The two colonies were very different both ideologically and physically, consequently an investor would have had to put those differences into consideration before investing. The Chesapeake region was the first to be colonized, the early settlers aimed at finding anything of value such as gold and silver to export back to England for a profit (Graham et al., 2007). Unluckily, they had arrived during a prolonged drought, and many of them did not survive. After these early pitfalls, they learned tobacco and corn farming from the natives (Gibb & King, 1991). These crops flourished and became the primary economic activity, which led to the rise of the slave industry. The main religion was Christianity through the Anglican Church. However, the church did not hold much weight in the region. The New England region, on the other hand, was mostly populated by Puritans who had moved to the New World with the aim of building a society that was completely purified of the Roman Catholic Church (Morgan, 1966). Here the church was above all other aspects of society including wealth creation. There were farming and trade but mainly on a small scale and purely to sustain the family unit with a small surplus. However, there were economic possibilities as evidenced by the New England merchants (Bailyn, 1955). As a wealthy businessman, investment in the Americas would be dependent mainly in my area of interest. If I were merely interested in profits, then I would invest in Chesapeake since its economic potential had already been established. The region was dominated by businesspeople and hence its policies would favor wealth creation. If I were interested in trade, then New England would be the better option. Its closely-knit populations meant one could access more people from a single location as compared to Chesapeake. Opportunities in the New World The discovery of the New World in the late 16th century saw an en masse migration of Europeans to the Americas among them being the Great Migrations of Puritans. This movement was propagated by the numerous problems in Europe and England such as a rising population, economic hardships, and growing need for political and religious freedom. These problems created a citizenry that “had little to lose and everything to gain,” by moving to the New World (Kulikoff, 2000). It is inarguable that an enormous motive for the migration was the boundless opportunities the New World had to offer that were mere dreams in their home country. However, the distribution of those opportunities was not as equitable as one would hope; race, gender, and religion played a crucial role. When the migrants moved to America, they carried with them most of the social and political structures from English society. In these structures, the elites, aristocrats, wealthy, and well-educated held the top tier (Kulikoff, 2000). However, the New World provided opportunities for ascension to higher classes, peasants who had acquired wealth could buy their way into the top tier. Such a fete could even be accomplished by a convict who came as an indentured servant (Roediger, 1991). However, this was only possible for the white race, Africans and natives were forever relegated to the lowest ranks of the social ladder. In the Old World, the family structure was patriarchal with the father as the head. With the vast promises that the New World had to offer, the poor and women hoped to more equality in society (Kulikoff, 2000). One section of this group, the poor were able to fulfill their dreams as they could earn their rights by working hard and gaining wealth. However, women were relegated to second-class citizens for an extended period. Conditions in the South were harsh, which saw many husbands dying and leaving their wealth to their wives and children. As such, these women had money and land but they could not get any leadership roles as these were purely held by landholding men (Bonomi, 1986). Religion also played a huge role. Even travel to the new world was aided by religion. Many peasants could not afford to travel, so their only option was to sell their labor in exchange for a ticket. However, the Great Migration was as a result of concerted effort of wealthy Puritans who formed the Massachusetts Bay Company. Religion was one aspect of society that could guarantee one [preacher] a huge following and an obvious ascension to a leadership role (Bonomi, 1986), examples are like George Whitefield, Roger Williams, and Anne Hutchinson.
Columbian Exchange: The Columbian Exchange was an exchange of peoples, animals, diseases, and foods between hemispheres. Foods and diseases from the New World, such as maize, potatoes, and syphilis, were carried to Europe. Food, livestock, and diseases, such as wheat, barley, cattle, horses, smallpox, measles, and influenza, traveled across the Atlantic to the New World. This term is
8.Puritans— ‘Followers' of Puritanism, a movement for reform in the Church of England that had a profound influence on the social, political, ethical, and theological ideas in England and America. In America the early New England settlements were Puritan in origin and theocratic in nature. The spirit of Puritanism long persisted there, and the idea of congregational democratic government was carried into the political life of the state as one source of modern democracy.
The Columbian exchange was one of the largest transfer of goods, human population, and etc between the New and Old world. These goods and other things changed the course of both world as we know it. In the Old World, new crops such as corn and potatoes were brought. These crops are able to stand harsh environment and able to grow in short amount of time. To the New World goods such as wheat, onions, and rice were brought. Also, ideas and technology were introduced to New World. However, The things coming from the Old World were contaminated with diseases that nearly wiped out the natives of New World. The people in from the Old World took advantage of the defenseless natives and enslaved them. The natives were forced into cheap and unfair labor.
The Puritans were mainly artisans and middling farmers by trade and in the wake of the reformation of the Church of England, left for the colonies to better devout themselves to God because they saw the Church of England as a corrupt institution where salvation was able to be bought and sold, and with absolutely no success in further reforming the Church, set off for the colonies. English Puritans believed in an all-powerful God who, at the moment of Creation, determined which humans would be saved and which would be damned (Goldfield 45).
The puritans were very religious. They wanted to show everyone what happens if you are good and believe in god and the heavens. If you do bad things you would be punished or be killed. If you do good things you can be hand chosen to go to heaven.
In the book Wayward Puritans, Kai Erikson stands to argue that deviance and the consequences and punishments of this deviance form a significant mechanism of social regulation. Truly the main purpose of "Wayward Puritans" is to argue that deviant forms of behavior are often overlooked as a valuable resource in society. These forms of deviancy provide a point of contrast which is essential for the maintenance of a rational social order. As a sociologist, Kai Erikson views our history as a replication of changes in societal norms and expectations. In this book, Erikson revisits the society of the Puritans. By exploring and investigating several “crime waves” throughout history, Erikson notes several forms in which we as a society have seen deviance throughout history. Erikson begins the discussion of his research of Puritan lifestyle and the influences of deviance; Erikson investigates the Antinomian Controversy, the Quaker Invasion, and the Witches of Salem Village.
Columbian Exchange or the big exchange was a great exchange on a wide range of animals (Horses, Chickens, sheep, swine, Turkey), plants (Wheat, barley, corn, beans, tomatoes), people and culture, infectious diseases, and ideas, technology (Wheeled vehicles, iron tools, metallurgy) all these things happened between Native Americans and from Europe after the voyage of Christopher Columbus in 1492. Resulting in communication between the two cultures to initiate a number of crops that have led to the increase in population in both hemispheres, where the explorers returned to Europe loaded with corn, tomatoes, potatoes, which has become one of the main crops in Eurasia with the solutions of the eighteenth century. At the same time, the Europeans crops, cassava and peanuts to Southeast Asia with a tropical climate.
The Colombian exchange was the exchange of products and ideas that led to the transformation of the world. One product of the Colombian Exchange during the period of 1450-1750 was the horse. Horses were introduced to the Americas by the Spanish. Politically, horses aided in the conquest of land by instilling fear upon their opponents. Socially, horses became the most effective form of transportation that allowed society to cover more land at a more fast speed. Economically, horses benefited agriculture by pulling plows to increase the rate of farming. The exchange of horses impacted the Old World in a more negative way than in a positive way in the long run.
In 1534, King Henry VIII formally instigated the English Reformation. He therefore passed the Act of Supremacy, which outlawed the Catholic Church and made him “the only supreme head on earth of the Church of England” (Roark, 68). Puritans were looking for a more Protestant church and received what they wanted. Along with it, came the King’s total control over the Church. This is what the Puritans didn’t want. Puritans believed that ordinary Christians, not a church hierarchy, should control religious life. They wanted a distinct line between government and the Church of England. Puritans also wanted to eliminate the customs of Catholic worship and instead focus on an individual’s relationship with God developed through Bible study, prayer, and introspection (Roark, 68).
The Puritans were Englishmen who chose to separate from the Church of England. Puritans believed that the Anglican Church or Church of England resembled the Roman Catholic Church too closely and was in dire need of reform. Furthermore, they were not free to follow their own religious beliefs without punishment. In the sixteenth century the Puritans settled in the New England area with the idea of regaining their principles of the Christi...
During the 16th and 17th century a group of English Protestants known as The Puritans, became known for their religious beliefs and structure way of living one’s life? The group allowed people to express their individuality with the restraint that their expression had to increase the harmony of the group further. By the turn of the eighteenth century saw the shift from relying on religious teachings to relying on one’s intellect. The movement was known as Age of Enlightenment, and it emphasized reason and people governing their lives. The Enlightenment brought forward important figures who maintained their ideas regarding how a person could reach their full potential in life. Two prominent figures of the Age of Enlightenment include Benjamin
The Columbian Exchange is the exchange of plants, animals, food, and diseases between Europe and the Americas. In 1492, when Christopher Columbus came to America, he saw plants and animals he had never seen before so he took them back with him to Europe. Columbus began the trade routes which had never been established between Europe and the Americas so his voyages initiated the interchange of plants between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres, which doubled the food crop resources available to people on both sides of the Atlantic.
During the time period 1450 to 1750, the world went through major change and development. Nomadic power declined, and European Kingdoms became world powers. A world trade network was set up as contact amongst nations increased immensely. A population boom occurred throughout the world. Many civilizations that were once isolated were brought into the world economy. The Americas unknown until Christopher Columbus’ voyage in 1492 became a major part of the world economy as many European nations colonized much of the land. Large sea trade arose during this time period first by the Portuguese and Spanish and later by the English, French and Dutch. As European countries began exploring the Americas, an exchange of crops, animals, raw materials, diseases and new ideas were exchanged between the Americas and the rest of the world. This is known as the Columbian Exchange. One major component of the Columbian Exchange was the discovery of tobacco. Tobacco was first discovered in the Americas and became as cash crop. It was imported back to Europe, where it became vastly popular. As many middle class Europeans people began smoking, the demand for more tobacco from the Americas increased; colonies were set up to produce tobacco. With the demand for tobacco so high, labor was needed to farm the crop causing slaves to be imported.
Puritanism as a religion declined, both by diluting its core beliefs and by losing its members. This phenomenon was at work even in colonial days, at the religion’s height, because it contained destructive characteristics. It devolved into something barely recognizable in the course of a few generations. We can observe that the decline of Puritanism occurred because it bore within itself the seeds of its own destruction.
Considering Christopher Columbus?s exploration in the Americas, this exploration has benefited to the Europeans to enrich their commodities and fulfilled the labor forces in this continent. By utilizing Columbus? exploration as a leading indicator, many Europeans have sailed to the Americas again in the fifteen centuries, which called the Columbian Exchange. Besides, the motive for the European to sail to the new world was the shortage of food supplies, commodities, and overpopulation. Although this exchange has benefitted the European greatly, especially in Spanish, it also brought many negative impacts to the native Americans? culture, millions of native have killed. The exchange also created the slavery exchange, where the middle and west Africa took place. Equally, this exchange also created the problem of mutual culture in different regions, particular in the Americas and later, the Asia, where it had the least impact of the Europeans.