The Changes In Colonial American Society

The Mayflower landed on Massachusetts bay in 1620, some distance away from their intended destination of Virginia and out of the jurisdiction of the Virginia Company. The colonists signed the Mayflower Compact thus establishing a "civil body politic". This was the commencement of another colonial area which would prove to be much different than the already developing Chesapeake region but also share some similarities. The New England and Chesapeake colonies were socially similar yet developed different economies and ways of life. Slave labor was a much larger factor of economic development in the Chesapeake areas. And religious beliefs had a larger force in shaping life in the New England colonies. However, both regions encountered similar tensions with native Americans over land.

Everyday life in colonial America was made up of large cities, rural settlements, and frontier regions. Life in colonial America was nothing short of difficult. The large cities were made up of many classes of people ranging from wealthy to slaves. There were some that had very specific skills as well as communication skills and others who had nothing. The wealthy people dreamed of what they were going to do in the future, however the middle class people dreamed but did not plan. They were better off than the average poor person, but still worked very hard sunrise to sunset. In this paper I will provide information on what life was like for various aspects and people groups in colonial America.

This paper offers an inside look at how the New England and the mid-Atlantic colonies lived, out of the thirteen that settled, the different events that led to their upbringing, religious identities, and their day to day lifestyles. Rather, if it was a small difference that the colonist who lived in the same region were not living the same way their neighbor was, it may have also taken generations for the colonist to get things up and running, but along the way they learn what is needed to make their new living situation work.

Colonial America was the era when America was made up of different colonies; in this case there were thirteen. Colonial America lasted from 1587 to 1770, 183 years long. As said before, there were thirteen colonies: four New England colonies, four Middle colonies, and five Southern colonies. The New England colonies were New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, otherwise known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The four Middle colonies were New York, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Virginia, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Maryland made up the Southern colonies. These colonies were located in North America, along the Atlantic coast. Although these were the main colony groups, the very first colony was founded at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. People settled in the colonies in North America to have a better life, and to escape persecution from people with different beliefs. The next colony, founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims, was Plymouth, Massachusetts. Native Americans assisted the Pilgrims when they first arrived at Plymouth. Two of the Native Americans were Samoset and Squanto, an English-speaking Pawtuxet, who was kidnapped by Europeans, but was later freed. Another colony that was helped by Native Americans was Virginia, where tobacco was used as a cash crop that helped Virginia prosper. The colonies in Colonial America not only prospered from cash crops, but slaves as well. African Americans were brought in on trade ships

In colonial America in the late 1700s, the states were not unified under a single form of government. They were under British imperial rule, which proved to be a constant struggle for the colonists In the late 1700s, America was in a state of political, social and economic unrest. For example, certain significant events such as the Proclamation of 1763, the Sugar Act of 1764, and… ??? Eventually, these events contributed to the American Revolution starting in 1765, where the colonists rebelled against British power. This period of time ultimately was the beginning of The United States as an independent country. Finally, in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was drafted, which allowed the United States to officially break away from British rule.

Change is inevitable (Ecclesiastes 3, NIV) and that timing is a critical part of this process, which according to Burke (2013) can be either revolutionary or evolutionary. Organizational change, the outgrowth of strategic thinking and planning often competes with strong human emotion (Wimberly, 2007) and behaviors that often put up a valent fight and resistance to changing attitudes and values in favor of a new culture (Burke, 2013), irrespective of the outcome, which could be permanent (Beach, 2006). For example, Great Britain, as an organization, resisted revolutionary change when the American colonies refused to submit to the taxation without representation, which led to strong emotions, resistance, a valent fight (the Revolutionary War).

Early colonial America was influenced by many various factors. There are three main factors. These three main factors are: the cultivation of tobacco in Virginia, the introduction of slavery to America, and the enclosure of croplands in England. In order to fully understand how America was influenced and shaped by each individual factor, it is imperative to understand the consequence of each factor and the importance of each consequence. These three factors are not equally important in regard to their consequences.

The Massachusetts colony, otherwise known as the ‘Massachusetts Bay colony’ was originally settled by Puritans in 1630. They were plagued by the religious persecutions of King Charles I and the Church of England. Weary from this dogged torment, they left England under the leadership of John Winthrop. These original colonists quickly established many small towns in the name of high religious ideals and strict societal rules. They also planted churches, spread Puritanism and religiously educated the masses, as these were some of their goals. A utopian society that other colonies looked upon with high regards was the ultimate goal.

By the 18th century the colonial society changed drastically. As the population increased the economic and social system changed. With the new forms of trade colonies were able to implement commodity money to obtain goods.Let alone, by the 18th century, colonies had different types of government as well as different commodity money creating some conflicts between the colonies’ commerce. Furthermore, there were three types of political system among the thirteen colonies. Such as the provincial colonies, the proprietary colonies, and the charter colonies. In addition, society also experienced some changes. For example, before the 18th century women had less power in their bodies. But new ideas and belief changed the way women viewed marriage.

Inequality has been a major issue in the Colonial Virginia and it was originated within a hierarchy of race, gender, and social class that already existed in the mother country of England.

What is Colonial America? The phrase suggests the existence of a single geopolitical entity in the New World. Colonial America, by Edward Gray, has a mixture of textual and visual documents, including diaries, letters, sermons, newspaper columns, and poems. These were all taken from what people wrote during that time. It tells you all about the documents that were written and about them. It gives you key points on how to read documents and pick out the important parts. In the beginning, it talks about the Colonial era in the U.S. This was the longest era in history and lead to the Great Depression. This was also big in history because it was such a large movement of people, ethnic groups, and lots of other different people and groups were involved. When reading about Colonial America it talked about the organisms of the United States, the people inhabited North America and what they did, what their religion was, and how the managed their family, their businesses, their government, and their churches.

From 1607 to 1754, people’s views on governing themselves changed greatly. It began in 1607, with the settlement of Jamestown. They were a corporate colony, working for the Virginia Company, they were whole-heartedly British. The Great Awakening, the Enlightenment, and the Tradition of Neglect all introduced new ways for the American colonies to think of themselves as more independent. Although they still considered themselves part of the British Empire, by the end of this era they had discovered that they could make their own laws and constitutions that fit the way that their world worked as opposed to Great Britain.

Colonial Era Lonely Planet’s History of Mexico says, “Spain’s policy toward conquered Mexico, as for all its conquests in the Americas, can be summed up in one word: exploitation.” Europe and Spain saw Mexico and the Americas as a figurative goldmine to deliver eternal wealth. The Colonial era took place from 1701-1821 when Mexico gained independence. Europe saw Mexico as a country to make a profit off of. Conquistadors and colonists saw Mexico as a chance to get rich, and by the 18th century some of them had amassed huge fortunes in Mexico from mining, commerce or agriculture, and possessed enormous estates (“History of Mexico”).

Have you ever wanted to know what life was really like back in the colonial days? If you have you are not alone, many people have studied primary and secondary sources for a long time. Although some accurate details have come up, life back in the colonial days was not what it is said to be.

The Colonial period is abundant in its source of influential people who help shape present society through questioning past beliefs. Martin Luther leads the Protestant Reformation. John Calvin expands on the idea of predestination. The Puritans live strictly by the word of the Bible, and the Quakers inspire many people to join them in their friendly lifestyle. All of these people contribute to our society today and brave the face of adversity.