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American Colonies Dbq

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This decade portrays the exploration of the Europeans to the American colonies which allowed England, France, Holland, Spain, and British to colonize with other lands and obtain power by expanding their territory. Nevertheless, England rose as the country with the dominant colonial power. Throughout this decade, the demand for silver and other valued items influenced trade globally by commercializing and strengthening European trade. In addition, the desire for power and control enriched the economy of the Europeans. The rise of European colonization also shaped cultural globalization since traders established various ethnic societies in foreign regions. European explorers were to stop at nothing in order to achieve success in expanding their …show more content…

English merchants agreed that a nation’s wealth depended on it’s successful balance of trade. merchants would invest in joint-stock companies with the intention of receiving increased profits. A portion of the companies sought to discover religious freedom while others attempted to gain fortune. In 1606, due to the establishment of the Virginia Company, England now had a successful stabilized colony in America. The chartering of the Virginia company by King James I gave England the right to form settlements in the colony of Virginia. In 1614, the arranged marriage of John Rolfe and Pocahontas served as a peace symbol between the Native Americans and the British. Rolfe and Pocahontas began farming sweet tobacco. In Europe, tobacco was considered as a popular way to earn money, however, growing tobacco decreases the fertility of the soil causing more plantations to be consumed. Many sugar crops and plantations were scattered which benefited the economy of Virginia as well as Great …show more content…

England passed a series tax laws and demanded the colonists pay back the debt. In 1764, the Sugar Act was passed by the Parliament of Great Britain, reducing smuggling yet increasing the cost of imported goods in the American colonies and decreasing exportation to non-British markets. The Currency Act of 1764 did not forbid colonies from releasing paper money, yet it did ban paper money from being used to pay of private or public debts. In 1765, the Stamp Act was established in order to raise revenue from the American colonies by taxing stamps which were required on all legal or commercial documents, newspapers, licenses, and diplomas. Great Britain benefited from the passing of the Stamp Act which enriched their economy. The colonists, however, believed that the Act was taxation without representation and the power to tax is the power to destroy. In 1767, a series of laws known as the Townshend Acts placed taxes on tea, glass, paper and other materials. This again benefited Great Britain and upsetted the colonists because of the high payments enforced on these

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