Mayflower Dbq

Written documents proved to be a major influence on the unification of the American colonies. Beginning as early as 1620, when the Separatist Pilgrims left the jurisdiction of the Church of England and escaped the “Dutchification” of their children in Holland to go to the New World, the establishment of self-government through the Mayflower Compact became present. It was heavily based off of the Magna Carta of 1215 which provided the foundation of the rule of law. Created and signed by the adult males onboard, the document stated that the Pilgrims would “combine [themselves] together into one civil body politic, for [their] better ordering and preservation” (Document 1). It went on to declare that they would abide by the newly formed laws and elect officers. This led to the creation of town meetings, places of direct democracy where men could work together with each other to create laws.

However remarkable or pathetic the two government systems were, it is unlikely either colony would have survived without their leaders. In Plymouth, William Bradford was elected as the first governor. He also provided firm leadership, but still very few colonists complained that he was too controlling. Bradford even wrote a history of the first thirty years of the colony, which was later published in a book titled Of Plymouth Plantation. John Smith did not write a history of Jamestown but he did encourage colonists to work at tasks that were required to live instead of hunting for gold. He even became an expert at trading with the Indians to acquire much needed food.

During the 17th century, many nations started settling all throughout North America. Spanish conquistadors claimed much of the Southwest, while England began to occupy the Northeast. The Spanish and English colonies varied in terms of the impact of religion and control of the economy.

John Rolfe was an English settler who based the voyage to America simply on the growth of tobacco. Rolfe’s crew, along with many other young men, traveled to Virginia in 1609 to search for gold. When the ship reached on the shore, all that was seen was sandy beaches and swampy marshes. Neither of which helped with the growth of the major cash crop. Even after the valiant attempts to scrounge for gold, there was no success.With the large amount of crops that Virginia grew, the colony needed to expand west into new land for more room to grow crops. At this time Virginia was an underdeveloped colony that needed settlers to come live and work. Virginia introduced the ever growing indentured servitude. Most of the indentured servants were possibly single men of the lower class. The ship’s list of emigrants

Prior to 1763, both Spanish and British colonization efforts expanded into various regions of North America. In less than a century, from 1625 to 1700, the movements of peoples and goods from Europe to North America transformed the continent. Native Americans either resisted or accommodated the newcomers depending on the region of the colony. Though the English colonies were by far the most populous, within the English colonies, four distinct regions emerged. While planters or merchants grew in power in each English colony, Spanish colonists, with far fewer colonists, depended more on friendly relations with Native Americans to secure their

Because the low-grade tobacco was being overproduced unceasingly, prices dropped over the years. Tobacco had been the colony’s sole way of income for many years. Berkeley attempted to improve conditions by introducing other industries and building new towns in several places. Unfortunately, the towns could not be maintained and other attempts only resulted in dissatisfaction and increased taxes. Taxes were also increased due to a need for defense against the Dutch and the Indians. The rising price of English manufactured goods and the increasingly limited English market created more problems for the Virginians.

* Which commodity sparked the economy of colonial Virginia in the early 17th century? What social problems resulted from the success of that commodity?

The Mayflower Compact, written and signed in 1620 by forty-one white men aboard a ship called the Mayflower, provided basic laws for those who first arrived in America. Eventually the thirteen colonies expanded, which brought an economical benefit and expanded trade for Britain. However, in the mid-1700s, Britain pushed the colonists to their limits, imposing them with unfair taxes. As a result, in 1775, colonists revolted in the American Revolution. When the war ended, colonists gained their freedom, from Britain, with the signing of The Treaty of Paris (1783).

The history of North America centers around the struggle of England, France, and Spain to gain control of the continent. Settlers and their governments used different approaches on their efforts to colonization. These differences lead to advantages and disadvantages that resulted in the New World’s fate. France and Spain were governed by sovereigns whose rule was absolute. The English colonists were able to govern themselves and had plenty of freedom as long as they followed English law and were loyal to the king. England strengthened immigration from other nations, unlike France and Spain. By 1763, the English have defeated France and Spain in the French and Indian War establishing dominance over North America.

It was the age of discovery that first provoked intrigue and curiosity of new lands, particularly the Americas, and how the Europeans could expand to fit their society within the borders of this unknown and unexplored land. By the 1580s, more had been learned about the Americas, but any colonization until this point had not even been attempted. And so it was the English, under Queen Elizabeth I's rule, that were issued to establish a colony along the east coast of North America. However, when this great accomplishment was finally made in 1587, it was not long founded until its ultimate fate ended in the disappearance of the colony three years later, instantly creating one of the greatest

One of the main reasons to establish the Mayflower Compact was governing laws for and by the people. The Compact created the idea of a social contract . A social contract is authorized to follow the compact's rules and regulations for the sake of order and survival. “Civil Body Politic” purpose was to set equal law for the pilgrims and stranger on the Mayflower ship.

In 1616 John Rolfe was on a deadline to invest in the Virginia Company. The English Colony’s survival relied upon the success of Rolfe’s tobacco, which has previously been unsuccessful. When John Smith first met Wahunsenaca he mentioned that he and his men had been trying to escape from the Spaniards. The English tried to find gold, but that was also unsuccessful; they eventually moved onto glassmaking and timber harvesting. The Spaniards had been successful in growing tobacco and in mining gold and silver. The Virginia Company of London made arrangements with Rolfe to pursue such an endeavor. When Rolfe and his English wife arrived in Jamestown he immediately focused on growing tobacco. During Rolfe’s tobacco intrigued period his wife died of unknown, undocumented

Throughout the time of the Roanoke catastrophe and the hardships of Jamestown, tobacco made its grand introduction as America’s newest cash commodity that would allow success to flourish in Virginia, with a permanent English presence. Tobacco was formally popularized by a man named John Rolfe in the year 1610 and became the top resource that helped the future of this colony thrive. Tobacco did all of this by turning an

The land became rapidly exploited and cultivated to produce tobacco. After the establishment of this cash crop, tobacco was glorified and largely advertised in both the colonies and England. As well as its large cultivation of tobacco, its connection to what became known as the Chesapeake Bay served as a prominent economic aspect to Virginia. By mid-century, the establishment of indentured servants had been regulated and used frequently by plantation owners. This being a prominent factor to Virginia's social development, its downfall and rise of slavery also played a prime role in social transformation.

Many colonies would not have survived if it wasn’t for the discovery and growing of tobacco, as this plant enabled the colonies to thrive, and even have a surplus of profit, therefore they could afford more servants, thus, creating a continuous travel of immigrants into the colony, overall creating stable colonies.