The British Empire and Colonization

There is an extensive history empirical power, repeatedly and successfully controlling another state or group of people in order to exploit it economically. In Southeast Asia there were 5 colonial powers; the United Kingdom, France, Dutch, America, and Japan, their primary motives for establishing colonies in the region was to get control of trade routes, to get access to the natural resources and raw materials, and the cheap labor, as well as to establish naval and military bases so that they could amass influence in the region. Prior to World War II, a third of the world 's area was colonized by European colonial powers between the 15th and 19th centuries, and another third of the world 's population were in colonies, dependencies, protectorates, or dominions. In this essay, I will focus on the British and French colonization in Southeast Asia. The British-controlled Burma, most of the Malayan peninsula, and Singapore, which was a strategic port and later became a naval base for the British. Meanwhile, the French controlled the adjoining countries of Vietnamese, Cambodia, and Laos, collectively known as French Indochina. This period of colonization in Southeast Asia brought many changes to the regions society, politics, and the economy. For instance, both colonial powers introduced political changes such as introducing a centralized form of government and changes to the justice systems in many of the colonized countries. There were also social impacts resulting from the

During the time period of 1600 to 1776, the relationship between Great Britain and the colonies changed massively. The relationship between Great Britain and the colonies changed greatly because of three main reasons: the relationships that the colonies and Great Britain were built on, the struggles that the colonists faced because of their relationships with Great Britain, and the anger that the colonists expressed because of the ridiculous taxes that they had to pay. Once the colonists realized that they were suffering under British rule, most of the colonists became eager to be independent from Great Britain. The colonists’ Second Continental Congress believed that the acts and taxes created by the British Parliament were unconstitutional, unjust, and unfair towards the colonists and because of that belief, the Declaration signers forever changed our country.

Change is a reoccurring theme throughout history. It destroys and creates. It displaces and introduces. It can cause death and life. The movement of imperialism in Africa brought great change to the native tribal life. Forcing the indigenous people to turn away from their century-old traditions caused violent rifts between the European settlers and the tribes, as well as internal problems between once amiable members of the Ibo culture. With the introduction of the foreign Western Society in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the tribe’s life and ideals are drastically altered as the new ethics and principles collide with the old traditions and laws, causing the members of the society to either adapt or be crushed underneath the foot of colonialism. Achebe’s character, Okonkwo, was impacted immensely by the cultural collision, as his previous way of life was pulverized before his eyes, and he found no reason to live any longer.

Before the American Revolution, there are several British Colonies in the Americas. Not all of them participated in the revolution. There were 13 clones which ended up rebelling. These were Delaware, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Mary land,North Carolina, South Carolina, New Hampshire, New York, and Rhode Island. The colonists wanted to be free from the England. They started to fight the soldiers of the English army in 1775. The Americans started a war with England. We call it the Revolutionary War. The American Revolution was on April 19, 1775 and is called the “shot heard around the world” It was named that because the hand draw action of the battles of Lexington and concord an the siege of Boston

At the dawn of the 17th Century, England was in a suitable position to colonize North America. England had finally reached peace with Spain, and England had many workers willing to travel to America for a chance at religious freedom, affluence, and exploration. Aided by the funding of the Virginia Company, roughly one hundred English settlers landed on the North American shore in 1607, at a place they would name Jamestown. In the ensuing decades, more people traveled to this new land, and they expanded their territories, eventually forming the Thirteen Original Colonies. At first glance, the colonies were very much alike, as they had all kept their English culture and remained loyal to England. However, after closer inspection it was evident that many concrete differences existed between the colonies, specifically between the New England, Middle, and Southern colonial regions. Despite the colonies’ loyalty to England and their similar cultures, the Thirteen British North American Colonies had distinct differences in their economies, moral and religious principles, and settling patterns.

    The United States would still be part of Britain if the revolutionary war did not happen, so what caused this war that made us split.  The colonies and the British used to be best friends, but then the colonist rebelled.  What caused the relationship between the British and the colonies to deteriorate. The relationship between the British and the colonies deteriorated because of the colonies restrictions, the colonists reactions, and the British reactions to the colonies reactions.

Starting in 1754, the Seven Years’ war began and led up to a sequence of events involving the Parliament. The Parliament is the highest legislature in Great Britain and consisted of the House of Lords and House of Commons. The Parliament made three acts because of the Seven Years’ war, which affected the colonist greatly. The three acts made by the Parliament included the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and the Tea Act. The Parliament made the acts to resolve issues and to enforce more laws, however, some acts made the colonist very upset and led up to events of commotion. The colonist had mixed emotions towards the act because some were liked and others were not.

From September 5-October 26, 1774, in Philadelphia, the first Continental Congress met up. Delegates were sent from all the colonies, except for Georgia. Delegates were elected by Committees of Correspondence of the Respective colonies, colonial legislatures, and by the people. There goal was to unite and show a combined authority to Great Britain.

During the time periods in the 17th century, thousands of British settlers flocked to the New World seeking for riches but turned out to hardship instead of gold. However, after many years of exploitation, and much effort, those settlers managed to build a huge treasury (North American Colonies) that would eventually make British one of the most profitable empire in the world. This essay argued that Pennsylvania would be the choice of mine to settle in one of the British colonies in the New World, with valid reasons and examples to support it.

The United States (British Colonies) needed to separate from Britain because of growing unrest. The colonies attracted more and more immigrants and had steady growth in their 150 years. Most of the growth was in urban areas like Boston and Philadelphian. These big cities had large populations of free people and slaves who had contrasting views, but were living in the same condensed areas. The immigrants had no loyalty to the British monarchy, so attitudes towards the crown greatly shifted. This shift started when Britain passed the Proclamation of 1763, saying the colonists could not settle in Indian country. With cities overflowing and land available in the west, immigrants with no loyalty disobeyed the crown and went west.

We traveled to the Americas aboard your ships, bought your goods, and fought in the name of Great Britain; we battled and died alongside your men as equals. Tirelessly we have aided every whim of Parliament, fooling ourselves and our children, telling fairytales to delude ourselves into thinking that laws passed were for the best. In such dire times, when food and money was scarce, we tried to find hope in your name, but it has come to light that you offer no safe haven for us, and wish only for tax upon tax. In theses times, it is necessary for us to reflect back on better times in the relationship between Great Britain and the colonies. The days in which we were separate, yet united, and the affairs of the colonies lay in our own hands; days when we were in control of our own lives. With such a time in mind, it is in the best interest of the peoples of both nations, that we consider the acts which define a tyrant.

The fact that these missionaries have started to really make an impact was unprecedented by the Ibo people; their continuous misunderstandings of one another contribute to make this situation frustrating to both the Ibo clansmen and the Christians that view their religion as superior. Okonkwo returns back to his home village of Umuofia after his exile to Mbanta, and he arrives to see missionaries have overtaken the village, created a government, and many Umuofians have joined the church. As Okonkwo and his friend Obierika are talking, Obierika says of the missionaries and their impact, “He says that our customs are bad; and our own brothers who have taken up his religion also say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight when our own brothers have turned against us?...He has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart” (176). The white men and missionaries have been successful in coming in and gaining power. They believe the customs to be “bad”, showing their disregard of Ibo culture, and how their motives for infiltrating Ibo life is based off of selfish ideas- only to gain more followers to their religion. Furthermore, by actually being successful in drawing Umuofians into their religion, they have turned

Instead of being adaptable and respectful, the Christians did not bother with the culture and burst into their own evangelical song. They wanted things their way and they were not taking no for an answer. The missionaries also took the liberty of taking Umofian land and building a church (150). The final scenario occurs when a Christian convert rips of the mask of an egwuwu.

“In response to Conrad's stereotypical depiction of Africans, Chinua Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart through the point of view of the natives to show Africans, not as primitives, but as members of a thriving society. Things Fall Apart follows Okonkwo's life as he strives for prestige in his community. When European missionaries come to Umuofia, Okonkwo's clan, Okonkwo tries to protect the culture that the missionaries would destroy in the name of "civilizing" the natives. However his rigid mentality and violent behavior has the opposite of its intended effect, perpetuating the stereotype of the wild African in the eyes of the

The novel, things fall apart was set in the late nineteenth century which was a period of conflict and drastic change in Africa, where indigenous societies clashed with imperialistic European powers. The author, Chinua Achebe adds this tension of the historic British colonial expansion to present another dimension to Okonkwo's tragedy. Achebe challenges ethnocentric views of Africa through his use of language throughout the novel. The author also includes themes of Cultural relativism by introducing the Ibo’s traditions and language.