Thirteen Colonies and New England

Between the years of 1606 and 1620 two colonies were founded along the eastern cost of North America. These two colonies were known as the Jamestown colony (1606), and the Plymouth colony (1620). They were similar in that they both struggled to survive in the early years of settlement due to famine, and disease. They were different in a variety of ways with some relating to environmental factors, Indian relations, reasons for coming to the new world, and their experiences upon arrival in the new world.

The New England colonies and the Middle colonies are alike. For example, the church was very important to both colonies. Religious beliefs influenced how the New Englanders (Puritans) lived, worked, and spent their leisure time. Every Sunday

Prior to the founding of the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1630 religion had not played a large part in the politics and development of the British North American colonies. The first settlers who established Jamestown in 1607 were looking for riches similar to those found by the Spanish in Central America. After finding no treasure and on the brink of collapse they developed a cash crop economy and by doing so created the first stable British colony. The success of Jamestown combined with religious tensions between Anglicans and Protestants in England, caused the Puritans to form the

Therefore, the Puritans strived to work towards religious and moral reforms, and to do so, first escaped persecution from the Church and the King. As a result, a group of non-separatist Puritans led by Thomas Dudley and John Winthrop established a colony in Massachusetts Bay, mainly in order to have religious freedom, but also to maintain British cultural influences (before they had ventured to North America, they lived in Holland for a few years, but decided to leave in order to settle “as a distinct body of themselves” in the New World). Unlike in the Chesapeake Bay regions, religion was at the forefront of everybody’s mind, as every settler was a devout follower of God (at least at the beginning). Therefore, the cardinal principle in their community was a sort of religious exclusiveness as the Puritans held their spiritual beliefs, which translated into certain “community laws” and customs, highest. On the other hand, religion was a negligible motivator for colonists settling in the Chesapeake Bay regions.

Anglicization of the Britain’s American colonies was a big event for the course of not only American or British history, but world history. The colonists adopting many British ways and becoming very patriotic towards the “mother country” had a large effect on the events that unfolded in the late 18th century. While it is true that the American colonists were incredibly British during the beginning to the mid-18th century, the colonies had been around long enough to develop their own culture and way of doing things. The series of events and acts that were imposed on the colonists post French and Indian War got the ball rolling on what came to be known as the American Revolution. The colonists were so fed up with the way in which the British were tightening their hold on the colonies to the point where they were driven to rebellion. The combination of British and underlying American ideals in the pre-revolution era were a necessarily pre-requisite and important component of what would become the American Revolution.

Additionally, the struggle for religious dominance in England had unsurprisingly reared its head in the colonies as well (Schultz, 2009). When Lord Baltimore (Catholic) who was given proprietorship over Maryland for religious reasons, he realized the potential for violence due to religious differences, and he enacted the “Toleration act [in] 1649” (Schultz, 2009, p. 54). This act, albeit not an end-all for religious constraint, was a foundation for the rights of all colonist to worship in the manner of their choosing. However, constraint due to religious denomination was far from over in the New

The first establishment of the New World was Jamestown in 1607. This colony was founded by King James I. King James sent merchants and adventurers that were looking to profit from land and wealth to the New World just as the Spaniards did in Mexico and Peru. The London Company issued a Virginia charter to form plantations in Virginia. This was lead by Sir Thomas Smith, one of the wealthiest merchants aboard the ships to the New World. There were approximately 104 settlers that arrived on a peninsula along the James River. These settlers wanted to make a profit to take back to England. This peninsula was known as Jamestown. The colonists in this low lying swamp area was stricken with disease, contaminated drinking water, and was attacked by Spaniards or Native Americans. This was a serious threat to the early settlers of Jamestown.

In the seventeenth century, colonial America was categorized into three major regions; New England, the Middle Colonies, and the South. Each region provided various opportunities and breakthrough ideas that created a distinct economic, cultural, and political society different from any other region. These ideas became the beginning of some prominent themes and beliefs Americans see as essential in today’s society.

Question 2: What are the similarities and differences between early colonial and contemporary American beliefs about religious freedom and tolerance?

The relations between England and the British North American colonies could always be considered precarious. Prior to 1750 British essentially followed a policy of benign neglect and political autonomy in the American colonies. (Davidson p.97) The colonies were for the most part content with benign neglect policy, relishing in a “greater equality and representative government”(Davidson p.95) within the colonies. Competition among European Imperial nations began to effect British policy toward North America colonies causing rapid shifts from 1750 to 1776. During this period, the British Empire made a series of policy decision that sealed the fate of the British North American

During the seventeenth century, Europeans established colonies in North America. The English colonies were originally established because proprietors from England were granted charters to govern lands. Other European colonies were established around trading posts. Over time, the English gained control of the thirteen colonies through force or purchase; eventually, the regions were known as the Southern, Middle, and New England Colonies. Although both New England and Southern colonies share several commonalities, they differ in how they treat women, Africans, their religion, and their government.

Leading up to the American Revolution, were a chain of events that created a spark in the colonists to obtain independence from Great Britain. The American Revolution could not be tied to one single event but instead by the feelings and determination brought on by this chain of disgraceful actions. Gordon S. Wood explains what he believes caused the rebellion of the American colonists from Great Britain and how those causes help explain the outcomes of the revolution in his essay, “Radical Possibilities of the American Revolution.” Wood argues that the colonists were motivated to rebel against the British monarchy due to their need to preserve their liberties and through this revolution a radical change in government and American life occurred.

The 13 Colonies are broken down into 3 parts, Middle, Southern, and New England Colonies. There were many similarities and differences between all of the 13 Colonies. Many of them ranging from their climate and geography to the role women and African Americans played. A variety of people came from all around the world to the 13 Colonies for many different reasons. In the Middle Colonies, there was a very diverse population.

Changes in British policies toward the colonies between 1750 and 1776 played paramount in the evolution of relations between British North America and Mother England. Tension between England and the colonies mounted from the conclusion of the Seven Years’ War to the signing of the Declaration of Independence as a result of the several implemented changes imposed by Parliament for the purpose of increasing income and tightening the grip on America.

The founders of New England had one major benefit when they were settling. The charter given to their company, the Massachusetts Bay Company, contained a provision that allowed the government of the colony to be located in the colony itself. This allowed the like-minded individuals who settled the colony, to begin with, to set their own laws, and elect their own government officials. These founders did not want the church to be controlled by the State, as they felt it was in England, so they made it illegal for Ministers and Preachers to hold Public office. They did, however, expect the community to live up to certain religious standards. They wanted to live as saintly as possible to prove they were members of the elect, destined for heaven, and they wanted to uphold Gods Laws so that God would prevent great hardship and disaster from befalling the colony.