Between the settlement at Jamestown in 1607 and the Treaty of Paris in1763, the most important change that occurred in the colonies was the emergence of a society quite different from that in England.Changes in religion, economics, politics, and social structure illustrate this Americanization of transplanted Europeans. The colonies no longer felt the need to give back to their mother country which was a thousand miles away.The settlers from the colonies entered in the phase of enlightenment where, they began to see themselves separate. Soon they started reaching towards the independence of the colonies which at one point would become states.
By 1763, although some colonies still maintained established churches, other colonies had accomplished a virtual revolution for religious toleration and separation of church and state. In England everyone was forced to follow the Church of England, which were the Anglicans, but in the colonies the Congregationalist , the Puritans. In the Great Awakening movement the colonist started to realize how far away they were from their mother country, and that they no longer wanted to be controlled by it. The colonies started to pass "Acts of Toleration" for example Maryland with the intention of having a place where people could go and live without having to practice any religion also helped Maryland's economy because several families started moving. The society in Maryland increased drastically.
In a similar economic revolution, the colonies outgrew their mercantilist relationship with the mother country and developed an expanding capitalist system of their own. Sugar formed the economy of the West Indian which later the Sugar Lords would extend to. The Chesapeake gave birth to the tobacco cultivation which was considered a cash crop.The triangular trade was a profitable business and it contributed to the Colonial Commerce, soon America would settle for trading on their own without England's influence. Each part of the triangle was specialized in its own product so when the triangle trade ship traded it would make a profit all around which greatly influenced the trade of African slaves.In order for America to be able to change their economic structure and become independent they also had to change their political aspects.
Building on Indian foundations of political liberty, the colonist extended the concepts of liberty and self-government far beyond those envisioned in the mother country. In Virginia, in Jamestown, a group called The House of Burgess influenced the idea that white-land owners should be the ones choosing the representatives. The colonies also influenced the Mayflower Compact which determined that important decisions were put to vote and passed by the majority of rule. This was a great achievement towards Americas independence since the colonies had never been in control, they had always lived under the rule of the mother country, England.
In contrast to the well-defined and hereditary classes of England, the colonies developed a fluid class structure which enabled the industrious individual to rise on the social ladder.The class structure was very definite, if you were a white man you were probably a farmer and owned land, you belonged to the upper class, if you didn't own land you were most likely a servant but since you are white you are still considered better than an African American slave although at times you might be doing the same labor work, if you worked hard enough you could probably climb up the ladder. If you were African American there was no doubt you were a slave, until later in history that you were able to get your freedom if you lived that long! In the New world your social status was based on wealth.
In conclusion the differences between the mother country, England, and America were many. For many years England had complete control over both countries until the Great Awakening idea started to flourish on the colonies, reaching out to their independence and their own mercantilism. England had full control of both countries religion-worship, politically, economically, and the way they were socially structured. The colonies outgrew to practice their own religions and in some cases none at all, they had their own laws setup by their own people, they setup their own trading system which would benefit their own economy, and they structured their social pyramids to their convenience. This was the beginning of Americas Independence.
No comments:
Post a Comment