Economic Conflict: A Battle of Classes The seventeenth and eighteenth century marked a time in North American history fraught with conflict. As people immigrated away from Europe during the Great Migration, they arrived to form new social and political classes within the colonies. These class shaped the social dynamics within colonies, determining the access certain people had to government participation, and subjecting people to forms of discrimination and a lack of opportunity. Conflicts in the northern, middle, and southern colonies were primarily driven by economic factors, specifically being catalyzed by social class structures that dehumanized and repressed the voice of the lower-classes by removing their right to vote, as well as using special rules such as slave codes to categorize people by race. Economic change in the colonies drove conflict by creating social tension between classes and religious groups, eventually leading to dissent and uprising in all three regions. Conflicts in the Northern Colonies were driven largely by economic and class considerations, namely the significant increase in trade between the Northern colonies and Europe that existed in the mid-seventeenth century. As trade and mercantilism grew in these colonies, hostility between the Puritan Church and those engaging in trade and fiscal exchange grew significantly. The Puritan’s attempts for an ideal religious community in the Northern Colonies was threatened by the rise of trade, pushing
Around the 1600’s, New England started to develop a drastic population growth. This growth caused several problems for the occupants including, high prices on food, land, and a shortage of work for many because of the aggressive competition. Immigrants from New England began to prepare for a voyage that would be beneficial for some travelling to Massachusetts and not so much those who were travelling to Virginia. Although the settlers from the Chesapeake Bay and New England came from the same country, these colonies established different societies because of varying elements such as religious freedoms, economy, government’s role in society and unity.
“The Transformation of European Society” by Gary B. Nash talks about the economic, social, and religious changes that took place in the British colonies in the eighteenth century in North America. The author discussed that the people of a once strict hierarchical society of Europe now had a more democratic and individualistic American view. The vast land, which distinguished America from Europe, allowed people to get rich fast and climb the social ladder. Unlike America, in Europe there was a large disparity between the rich and the poor. If you were born a blacksmith's son, you would die a blacksmith. However, the vast amount of land in America offered great opportunities for growth. Poor farmers could become rich businessmen in no time in the northern colonies, which helped to develop an
In a time when numerous countries were beginning to explore the new and exciting land of North America during the Age of Exploration, and groups of people from England and Spain were fleeing their home countries either for religious freedom or wealth, vast and civilized colonies began to form all throughout the New World. It is in this context that the colonies founded by the English and the Spanish began to develop and grow. There was a significant difference between the Spanish and New England colonies between 1492 and 1700 in terms of the treatment of indigenous people, and there were some immense similarities between the two colonies in terms of the role of religion in their society and the
During the seventeenth century, colonial America was welcoming many newcomers, several from England. Quantities of these newcomers were seeking land for economic purposes as others were longing for religious toleration. Many of the English colonists settled in the New England region for religious freedoms, to escape the English king, and leave adversaries of other religions behind. Settlers who resided in the Middle Atlantic region were affected differently. Although the Middle Atlantic was more
The New England colonies developed rapidly, largely due to the influence of the Puritans. The Puritans came to the new world seeking religious freedom and helped found most of the colonies in the New England region. The Puritans wanted a United government that will later become the basis for the Unites States, they believed that the overall well being of the people was more important than the well being of the few, and the Puritans believed that religion, church, and community were important aspects of the people’s lives. The Puritans’ religion allowed them to prosper in the political, economical, and social development of the New England Colonies in the 1630-1660’s.
“Despite the view of some historians that the conflict between Great Britain and its thirteen North American colonies was economic in origin, in fact the American Revolution had its roots in politics and other areas of American life.” Great Britain and the American colonies had a relationship impacted with many hardships. I believe that there was a political struggle between the two groups, but that Great Britain and the American colonies used economics as a chance to show how much control they had. Multiple Acts written by Parliament, the colonies' Committees of Correspondence and Continental Congress created political friction between Great Britain and the American colonies.
In the 1630's and the 1640's, the Puritans traveled to the colonies to detach from their opinion of a convoluted Church of England. They set up towns and started new lives that were all based on their idea of a pure religion. The Puritan's definition of a pure religion did not include many of the ideas of the Church of England. They built the colonies and made a system based upon the idea that God was the most important aspect of life. Puritan ideas and values influenced the political, economic, and social development of the New England colonies from 1630 through the 1660’s by spreading their beliefs into every facet of daily life. Politically their ideas regarding what was considered sinful behavior and how power was separated among the
Evaluate the extent to which religious toleration in the British North American colonies maintained continuity as well as fostered changed from 1607-1700.
Colonial America in the seventeenth century become very independent from England, this caused tensions politically, socially, religiously and economically. The tensions did not automatically take place; however, things that weren't considered issues previously became amplified problems as England tried to tighten their control over the colonies. Having the tensions of social and economic growth it lead to the Salem Witch trials that occurred in Massachusetts. There was a great amount of independent growth throughout colonial America, tensions definitely rose as colonial America refused to allow England to have full control.
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.
To look into the economic status for both colonies, they had more differences than similarities. The South had large farms and plantations, on the other hand, north had small farms and few plantations. North had more raw materials to trade than the South, but as mentioned the South had larger farms and work areas. The North colonies mostly traded cotton, they were very popular about their cotton. So, the South was agriculture more than the North. Northern focused on farming, fishing, and trade with the Atlantic's (Lecture, Economies of Early British Colonies). People in North were mostly focused on building communities, because they traveled and came into North as families, unlike the South who were mainly focused on agriculture for export
Dissent always existed in the New England Colonies; the Puritans rarely all agreed on one point. Differing theological opinions forged a schism between groups and lead to the creation of colonies such as Rhode Island. As they stressed literacy, individuals formed their own impressions of the gospel. Minister Roger Williams, for example, disagreed with the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s Indian relations and lack of religious freedoms. Roger Williams wrote this on the matter, “God requireth not a uniformity of religion to be enacted and enforced; which enforced uniformity sooner or later is the greatest occasion of civil war.”
Colonies in the “new world” continent of America differed in many ways. some of which were the Southwest Spanish settlements and the English colonies in North America. They both came with different motives and differed politically, economically and religiously. One of the main differences was that the English colonies aimed to create long-term settlements while the Spanish settlements aimed to gather material wealth and spread Catholicism. During the 17th century, the Southwest Spanish settlements and the English colonies in North America were close geographically, but the way they ruled their colonies was completely different in terms of politics, religion, and economic development.
Within the colony of Massachusetts, religion played an important role in shaping the community’s people and interests. The reason for the Puritans move to North America was to escape the convictions the Christians of England were placing on them (Divine, 89). Winthrop and his followers believed that in this new land they must create a place where they could come together as a people and build the perfect religious society (Divine, 90). In a speech about his vision for the land, John Winthrop said, “We must delight in each
According to paragraph 1-4, there were many things that describe the war that causes all the religious problems and also how they have in the common people over the 17th century and also know that the puritans have many advantages to opposed the king and represent the church of England over the civil war that was broke out and didn't challenge the slavery over everyone regardless to the race and how many things also led of the unity of the colonies from the separations of the colonies. As also know there were many colonies that become very important and that were also providing many things from other parts as tobacco, and other many things. The colonial also was develop as they had an economic that was using to slave the trade that