Chapter 5 Worksheet: The Growth Of The American Population

Britain had an advantage over America with their population in 1700. If Americans wanted to revolt, Britain would outnumber them 25 to 1. However, in 1775, with the population increase (and continuing to increase), Britain’s advantage was weakening. There were now only 3 Europeans for each American. This essentially meant that Britain was losing power over America. More Americans = more American power.

“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

The gap between the rich and the poor was big and there were a lot of immigrants coming into cities.

The grass always looks greener on the other side and there was plenty of green to be had in America. America had massive amounts of land for sale as well as a plethora of jobs. These conditions could not be found in most other countries.

The original English colonists molded and continue to mold the American character because unlike Europe, if you were born in to a low economic class you could climb your way up and become wealthy. This is something very important in modern day America because many people grow up poor but their drive and work ethic leads them to become wealthy. Emma Lazarus the famous American poet said in 1903 “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tost to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” (Doc. A). This means that no matter how poor someone is or how bad the circumstances are, you will always have an opportunity to prosper. Many people were given

During the Gilded Age, America experienced massive immigration and impressive economic growth, largely due to new inventions and industrial improvements. Population growth, the expansion of railroads, entrepreneurs and the ability to create national markets all contributed to the unprecedented economic growth. Only a select few, however, would benefit from the economic growth in America. The failure of the Federal Government to address important issues of the time, both social and economic, caused widespread poverty throughout the nation.

England was a very competitive country when it came to colonization. It wanted to be known mostly for the power it had as well as its success. England wanted to maintain its reputation as the leading country by establishing greater control over its land. In the North American colonies, it wasn’t until after the French and Indian war in 1763 that England really tried to totally establish control over the colonies. England tried to establish control by imposing taxes, controlling trade, and by establishing the proclamation of 1763. Despite these steps they took to establish control, they were not ultimately successful.

The connection between Britain and the English colonies was that of the ruling of the colonies by the king of Britain, King George III and his parliament. The king’s ruling was very unfavorable for the colonists because of his tyrannic dictatorship and unjustly taxations. The mere thought of an island ruling an entire continent thousands of miles away with poor communication and lack of supervision of the colonies by the king, did not work in favor of the colonies nor for Britain. Three contributing factors for the outbreak of the American Revolution were (1) the king’s taxes, (2) neglect of the 13 colonies and (3) England’s mercantilism policy. King George III and his decisions were one of the

The Scotch-Irish can trace their ancestry through Scotland and Northern Ireland. (Everyculture) The Scotch-Irish are descendants from 200,000 Scottish Lowland Presbyterians who were forced to move to Ulster in Northern Ireland in the 1600’s. Due to the economic conditions along with religious and

After the Civil War and Reconstruction, America rapidly shifted from agriculture to a more industrialized economy. Coined by Mark Twain, the term “Gilded Age” referred to the opportunistic but brutal period that catapulted America’s economy to the world stage. During this time, many people came to the United States looking for a better life, but only few accomplished this. The influx of immigrants into America were following the ‘American Dream’, the idea that America’s wealth could be shared by many, given one’s hard-willed labor. Although the Gilded Age positively developed America as a world competitor, it came at the expense of the people due to corruption between businesses and the government, as well as divided the social classes, not

Before the seventeenth century, countries such as Portugal and Spain had controlled the rich lands of the Americas, and England was left out of the race due to religious conflict back home. However, when Queen Elizabeth came into power, England’s power also rose in the colonial game in the America. Some of the first colonies they gathered are the ones of Virginia and Carolina. They also acquired the colonies of Massachusetts Bay and Rhode Island. Pennsylvania and New York were other colonies that they gathered too. These six colonies are a part of the famous first thirteen colonies that we know of today, and their formation and purposes helped to form America into the nation it is today.

There were two distinct groups in the Irish community. There were the Roman Catholic Irish and the Protestant Irish based on their faith it divided the Irish community. It was such an

The reason England won the struggle to control the North American continent is because they had a strong military and had a plan set out for when they colonized in America. At first they had a very weak military, but when they beat the undefeatable Spanish Armanda, they’re military strength increased. At that time, the Spanish were one of strongest nations in the world and in the early 1600’s, their economy started to suffer when they started to overexert their army. That’s when England economy started to become stronger. They were more focused on expanding their land and gaining more profit. The British main goal was to colonize the North American continent, and the French and Spanish didn’t really focus on colonizing North America, but to

During the Gilded Age, America opened its doors to many immigrants. They flocked from Europe, Mexico, Asia, China, and Japan. Just like blacks, they were discriminated against by the Americans already here because the immigrants and blacks were willing to work in factories for hardly any money. Because of this, most women in the lower class and children worked in the factories to help to support the family. The immigrants and blacks usually lived in small crowded apartments in the cities because they could not afford to live far away from their job. Each immigrant group tried to recreate their neighborhood from their old country in America which caused the cities to become segregated ghettos with ethnic backgrounds. Poor farmers were also apart of the lower class because they were dependent to one crop, and there was only one harvest per year.

It was easy for the colonists to work around the law, but England did nothing to stop it because trade deals were still happening, and everyone was still making money. This caused Americans to think of their government as equally as powerful as the British bureaucracy. England lost major control over the colonies during the Tradition of Neglect, but they didn’t do anything to stop it. Even though the colonies still considered themselves a part of the British Empire, people understood that they could lead themselves.