Definition Of Empire Research Paper

     Between the settlement at Jamestown in 1607 and the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the most important change that occurred in the colonies was the emergence of a society quite different from that in England. Changes in religion, economics, politics and social structure illustrate this Americanization of the transplanted Europeans.

The thirteen colonies started in 1607, before this England tried to do a colony called Jamestown unfortunately it failed to become a colony. Later the king that had tried to start the Jamestown colony died, then in 1607 the new king and queen Elizabeth I decided to try again this time it worked the first colony was called Virginia and was named after Queen Elizabeth I. Virginia was not dominated by a specific religion they welcomed Baptists, Anglicans, and others. The thirteen colonies included Virginia, Delaware, New York, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.

One might think that all of the British colonies in the new world were all the same. This is not the case though. The colonies, although they were all British they had some similarities but mainly they had differences. The Southern, New England and Middle colonies clearly show theses similarities and differences, particularly in terms of land, labor, religion, and native relations.

During the period of Colonialism, the English settlers arrived in America from Europe looking for religious freedom, land and the opportunity for wealth. While the Spanish Settlers arrived at Hispaniola unexpectedly, like the English; however, the Spanish did not leave Europe because of religion persecution; rather, they wanted to expand their religious belief to the New Word. While in both the English and the Spanish colonization, the Indigenous people were oppressed and enslaved but the English took a different approach. Thereby, although both the English and the European colonized in order to obtain gold and silver to help their countries wealth, the Spanish explorers took a more forceful method of gaining land.

Colonists: About 250,000 Spanish emigrants populated the newly established cities; they saw the New World as an opportunity for success. As the natives died off Africans and their children replaced them. As mixing production rose due to Spanish women scarcely traveling to the new world, the government created a hierarchy known as castas to keep social order.

The democracy established in colonial America developed greatly as the rights of colonists were recognized, however, the early establishment caused many of the features to be undemocratic. The history in colonial America as shown in the documents imply that equality among people of different races, genders and beliefs was not yet established during this time. America was filled with inequality and undemocratic features, allowing prejudice to occur between men and women, and the difference races. In 1763, the qualifications that one needed in order to vote varied depending on the colony. Although, each colony required that the voter was to be of the christian religion, white race, and male gender.

Throughout time empires have risen and fallen and taken various approaches in doing so. Some of these society were warlike, while others focused on intellectual discovery. Among these various societies were great empires like the Ottoman, the Mughal, the Spanish, and the Ming. All four of these great empire ruled at overlapping times but all eventually fell for different reasons. All had strengths and weakness and can be used as a learning opportunity for an empire that came after them. From the Ming and the Ottoman you can learn strength such as religious tolerance and government structure. On the other hand, the Mughal and the Spanish teach us the dangers of over taxing and over centralizing government. In order for an empire to successfully function they must have an accepting culture, a balanced economy, and manageable size.

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The colonies had developed a strong sense of their identity and unity as Americans by the eve of the Revolution. The Pre-Revolutionary Period showed how the English colonies buckled down and united. They grew into one major entity which was not going to be taken for a fool, especially not by England.      When England engaged in the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the colonies and their mother country joined together to fight the French. The colonies used popular images to entice people to join the war effort.

From the end of the French and Indian War in 1763 to the start of the American Revolution in 1776, many important colonial events occurred. Britain was left in extreme debt after the war, and relied on taxing the colonies to pay it off. The British government also began to establish trivial, and even sometimes cruel, acts and laws to keep the colonies in line. The colonists soon became fed up with all of the taxation and the “virtual representation” that they were receiving. British imperial policies from 1763 to 1776, such as taxation and spiteful laws, forced the colonists to increase their opposition to British rule and unite under the commitment to republicanism.

The study of British colonialism is a rather new field with much to discuss and a lot more to debate. The recent recognition of new nation-states that were once under the control of Britain was a growing phenomenon and one that continues to play a large role in today’s global politics. Since the rather recent period of these new nations, new study’s have been done into the history of a) the peoples that inhabited the land before Britain, b) the way Britain occupied and control and land, and now c) post-Britain. This is a growing topic in the historical field because seventy-five years ago there was no thought that Britain would relieve control of India or Nigeria. That is why post-British colonialism is important to today, because it is a

     Religion was a very important part of everyday life in colonial America. Sometimes people were not allowed to question what they were taught, and if they did so they were punished accordingly. Before 1700 some colonies had more religious freedom then others. While others colonies only allowed religious freedom to a select group, others allowed religious freedom to all different kinds of religions. In the overall there was quite a bit of religious freedom in colonial America

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“Is there a single trait of resemblance between those few towns and a great and growing people spread over a vast quarter of the globe, separated by a mighty ocean?” This question posed by Edmund Burke was in the hearts of nearly every colonist before the colonies gained their independence from Britain. The colonists’ heritage was largely British, as was their outlook on a great array of subjects; however, the position and prejudices they held concerning their independence were comprised entirely from American ingenuity. This identity crisis of these “British Americans” played an enormous role in the colonists’ battle for independence, and paved the road to revolution.

In the documentary, Up from Slavery: 18th century Colonial America Under the Rule of the British Empire, the story of slavery begins on the coast of West Africa where thousands of African people are unceasingly enslaved and placed upon overcrowded ships on which they must endure the cruelest of conditions. Many did not live through the journey due to disease, malnutrition, or in some cases murder, such as the Zong Massacre where 132 slaves were thrown overboard in a monstrous act committed by the captain all for the sake of an insurance claim. Out of the 12 million slaves who endured the grueling Middle Passage, only about 5,000 were transported to the United States. However, by the time of the Civil War, that number increased to 4 million