Freedom In Colonial America

In current day America, citizens either take their freedom lightly or believe they have no freedom at all. However, our ancestors thought differently in the past. The English colonist came to the New World for a number of reasons. Many came to the New World to escape bad marriages, jail terms, but many historian believe that many came to either get out of poverty or the fear of them falling into poverty. According to Brands, “Religion was a big reason for the English to come across the Atlantic”. The first colony was Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, which was not successful. After the first colony was established many more were established like New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and etc..

In the 1600s and 1700s, the Puritans were developing a large following in England. The Puritans were a new religious group. They called themselves Puritans because they wanted to purify and cleanse the Church of England. They thought the Church of England was ruined by bad practices from the Roman Catholic Church. The members of one group of these Puritans were known as the Pilgrims. They were convinced they could not fix the problems within England. First, they moved to the Netherlands. But after a while, they looked for a new home on a new continent. In September 1620 they set sail for North America on a ship called the Mayflower. They were hoping to build a new society where they could practice their Puritan beliefs.

With religious reforms causing controversy in England came the Puritans, known for their simplicity in their way of life. They wore basic clothing and were against consumption of alcohol and sex (unless married). With the disagreements of the religious conflicts happening in England, the puritans “wanted to purify the Church of England from within.” The sole reason the idea sparked to settle a colony in America was in search of a Puritan lifestyle and the freedom to do so. On March 4, 1629 King Charles gave the Massachusetts Bay Company a charter while not knowing the true nature of what this colony was to become and for the reasons behind it. Still, the Puritans left for America in March 1630. In contrast to the type of people who immigrated to Virginia, the Massachusetts population was mostly nuclear families, meaning husband, wife, and kids. Also differing from the colonists in Virginia, the settlers in Massachusetts Bay worked together for the common good of the colony. Along with their lives and beliefs, their government and politics were religiously based as well and soon they decided upon a Congregationalism form of church government. Their churches were a matter of choice but in order to become a member they had a strict regulation “In order to join one (a church) a man or woman had to provide testimony–a confession of faith–before neighbors who already had been admitted as full members.” Because religion was the bases behind Massachusetts being colonization crimes and religious disagreements called for serious

Throughout history freedom has had many different meanings and definitions; based on race, gender, and ethnicity. According to the dictionary freedom means the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement or under physical restraint (“freedom” def. 1). Freedom may seem like something given to everyone however it was something workers had to fight for. Not everyone believed that workers’ rights needed to be changed, which led to a long battle between workers, employers and the government. To the working class people freedom meant making higher wages, having regulated hours, workable conditions and the right to free speech.

For many immigrants who emigrated from Europe, the New World was an opportunity to escape the oppressive reign of monarchs and the papacy for a better life, and a way to experience what they believed to be true freedom. Although, not everyone expressed, or experience freedom in the same way.

Early Great Britain’s influence on the New World gave way for developing colonies. Being supportive of laws, the British passed on their methods of freedom to the Americas. The British believed that a crucial part of freedom was to obey a specific structure of laws, to be free was to be under government rule. Therefore, “British freedom celebrated the rule of the law, the right to live under legislation”. Furthermore, religion, specifically Christianity, also played an important role in the birth of America’s definition of freedom. Looking at freedom through a religious lens “ The Puritan settlers of colonial Massachusetts...believed their colony the embodiment of true Christianty, planted this spiritual definition of freedom on American soil”. The American definition of freedom was inspired by both these interpretations, the Puritan and the British.

True freedom is not something that can be given. It is something that every single person must discover for themselves. If a person were set free, though still thought of themselves as a slave, they are a slave. America is a country that thrives on freedom. Though numerous people throughout the United States take this privilege for granted.

Property was important as a qualifier for voting because in British America there was a belief that freeholders, also known as property owners, had a vested interest in the community that they lived in and deserved the right to vote. Freeholders paid taxes and were thought to be more intelligent than any other citizens. So if you did not own property you did not have the right to vote. The real reason

The settlers who established on the northern east coast were strictly searching for a land with religious freedom. The Puritans, followers of John Calvin, settled in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In England, they wished to purify the Anglican Church but were persecuted by King James I. The Puritans believed in well-ordered communities and families. They stressed education and the specific roles for males and females. The Pilgrims, or Separatists, founded Plymouth Colony and wrote the Mayflower Compact as a self government document by taking advantage of a loophole in their charter. This was the first self government treaty in North America. They believed that the English church was so corrupt that they had to establish their own independent congregations. As time passed, the New England settlements grew in population and diversity and split into different colonies such as Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and

The freedom of religion is a rising topic at the time and ultimately causes the settlements in North America. One group that settled in North America were the Puritans. The Puritans believed they needed freedom, which they would find in the new world they were moving to. They also believed that they could save people from the English church and convert them to their beliefs. There is proof that the Puritans still shared beliefs with the English church, but didn’t agree with all of them, thus wanted to create their own version and practice it freely. (Lecture on Sept. 5th by Dr. Johnson).

Settlers in the newly founded New England and Chesapeake colonies had a participatory democracy, but settlers in the Chesapeake area had a government that emphasized class stratification. The Virginia Company, founded by English men, established the Jamestown settlement in Virginia in the early seventeenth century. The company’s

While slavery was a horrific thing that led to the mistreatment of millions of black people, it had the power to last for centuries. When looking closely at historical accounts it becomes easier to see why this horrible practice was able to sustain for so long. One of the reasons was because the economy of Colonial America relied heavily on the labor of slaves. Farming, the slave trade itself, and the harsh treatment of slaves were all driven by the greed of slave owners. Another reason that slavery lasted so long was racism. During this time, the black population was considered inferior to the white population. This helped to promote the cruel behaviors that occurred in slavery. Lastly, many whites actually felt that the slaves were treated

Today we accept that freedom is a basic right human right but what exactly is freedom. 1On one hand, there is physical freedom. People who are not imprisoned or enslaved are free. On the other hand, there is freedom as a the right to act, speak or think what you want. People cannot reach their full potential if they are not free in both senses of the word.

First, what is freedom? It's an ambiguous term that can hold many different meanings to different people. Where a person comes from, their socio-economic status, their race, age, gender and other factors play a role in defining what freedom is. It's used in many different senses, for example: is freedom being able to do as you like

Thus began the movement to America in 1620 to receive the religious freedom and separation that they so desired from the Church of England. Once in America they were able to freely practice their own religious beliefs, and create a fresh life for themselves, their families, and their ideals. The Pilgrims were motivated by religious freedom and this was just a small story of the change of definition of freedom.