The Colonists During The 17th Century

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

Throughout the 17th century, many European countries sent explorers and settlers to America. The two most eminent countries that colonized area of America were Spain and Great Britain. Britain began to establish colonies in the northeast; in the area they called New England. The Spanish interest lied in the southwest. Living in two unassociated areas caused the Spanish settlements and the New England colonies to be quite unlike each other. When faced with the task of finding similarities between the two, not much can be found. It is the differences that stand out when studying the English and Spanish, from religion to politics to ideals.

Whether by land or by sea, eighteenth century colonial travel was arduous, expensive, and many times dangerous. Because of this, few people traveled very far from their homes. Transportation has changed dramatically since the late 1700’s. It was during this time that Colonial America was budding as a new country. This was before airplanes, which appeared in the very early stages of the 1900’s. Cars showed up about the same time, so rewind about 200 plus years and we’re back in colonial America. It wasn’t civilized like it is today. The dirt roads were bumpy, grimy, and when the rains came, they were mud baths. So how did people during this time get around? Often, they didn’t. Not many people could afford the cost of travel back then. Daily American Colonial Life was extremely harsh for the first settlers and colonists. They were faced with a new country, unknown territory and no friends, relatives or neighbors to help them “In those days, it was fairly expensive to travel. Because of this, generally only government officials, merchants, and planters took the risk (Constitution Facts).” Women were supposed to stay home and look after the children while the husband went off to do business. America was still a budding country, so there were not as many cities as there are now and they were more spread out. If the man wanted to travel, it would require several hours, or even several days to ride on horseback. Often the husband wouldn’t return for a couple of days, and when he

Throughout the 17th century, the English faced many hardships. The settlers of Jamestown had faced misfortune of the new land such as disease and malnutrition, and failure of crops. Over time the English built their economic and social structure with perfecting crops, indentured slaves and building a new society that would spark others to explore.

Colonists were practicing a democratic features in colonial america time because Great Britain is hundreds of miles away. Democracy in colonial America was in a work in progress with democratic and undemocratic features.

Colonization DBQ Although America is based on democratic values, and early colonies demonstrated democratic features, certain aspects of colonial life were not democratic. Virginia’s House of Burgesses was a legislature that was comprised of representatives chosen by the people, an example of a representative democracy (Doc. 6). This was the first democratic government to be established in America. In the house of Burgesses, a group of representatives were elected by the people to represent them and make decisions.

In 1630, John Winthrop led over a thousand Puritans to Massachusetts, with the intent to create a model of righteous living. Winthrop expressed his vision as he stated: “We shall be as a city upon a hill; the eyes of all people are upon us”. The entire lives of the Massachusetts Bay colonists were set on following their strict, “purified” religion, in everything from their family to their clothing to their courts to their education.

This source is intended for people who want to become a historian. Since this article talks about events of the past and historians know about the historical past, this article is perfect

The American colonists saw them self’s just as common folks in King George III eyes. They figured by trading with Britain they can all just be in peace. (So they thought) In this time period, they did not have banks and they had little money so Colonists used credit to get the things they needed from the other colonies. When they came to America, Britain wanted to control expansion into the western territories after the French and Indian War. To do so, King George issued the Proclamation of 1763 prohibiting settlements beyond the Appalachian Mountains. Pushing everyone who hand already settled down on that side to move back over to were the rest of the colonist were.

The early colonists started policing when they first arrived in America and had established colonies. April of 1631, in Boston, the townspeople volunteered to watch the city at night (Early Days of…). These watchmen would patrol the night trying to catch criminals. If criminals were spotted, the watchmen would scream and set off alarms to raise awareness to the townspeople. In smaller places, the governor would appoint sheriffs to watch over the colony at night. The sheriffs were appointed to watch the town instead of volunteers because of the small number of people in the

Most American colonists were loyal to Great Britain and looked to it for protection, but after the French & Indian War ended things began to change. The war had cost Great Britain a lot of money and they wanted the American colonists to help pay for it. Each attempt to raise revenue in the American colonies was resented. Great Britain stated passing laws such as; the Sugar Act of 1764, the Stamp Act of 1765, the Townshend Acts. The colonists saw this as an attempt to tax them without representation in Parliament and as a tyranny which led the colonist to choose sides. The Americans also resented the "Proclamation of 1763". This forbade American to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. Due to deteriorating relations with the colonies,

My trip started off with the 30 day voyage across the mighty Atlantic. Not knowing that I would be sent to the well established colony of Jamestown. I would be staying with the average family. They are to let me stay on account of rent from my publisher in England. My renter, a well developed man. He runs a silversmith shop.

American colonies developed into different regions over time thanks to different factors such as culture and natural resources. One of these was New England. The New English were primarily people of the middle class who paid their way across the Atlantic. New England was also home to Puritans, or those who wish to purify the Protestant faith. Typically, New England had “too much work for too few colonists” (159). This means that labor was easy to find, but land was scarce and expensive and prevented possible colonists from living there. Another important region that developed in North America was Carolina. Spanning across what is now South Carolina and Georgia, Carolina embodied what we think of as “southern”. Carolina was home to large plantations

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.

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.