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the role of religion
In each of the British colonies, Christian religious groups played an influential role and most attempted to enforce strict religious observance through both colony governments and local town rules. Eight of the thirteen British colonies had official churches, and in those colonies individuals who sought to practice a different version of Christianity or a non-Christian faith were sometimes persecuted. Many immigrants arrived as religious refugees, they did not want to establish a church like the church of England. Religious diversity was very common among the colonies; Catholic in Maryland, congregationalists in New England, Scots-irish presbyterians on the frontier, and German and Dutch in the middle colonies. Protestant always formed a majority of the settlers. The Anglicans were already established in most of the colonies. Puritanism, a religion that arose. Many religious groups, such as the Quakers and Puritans formed the first 13 colonies on the basis of their religious beliefs. Religion also become a dominant part of American politics. Then, in 1649, the Act Concerning Religion was enacted. The main goal of this act was to provide individuals with the freedom of religion. Later political documents included the Massachusetts Proposals and the Adopting Act of 1729. After The first Great Awakening Religiosity expanded greatly,a religious revival in the 1740s, led by preachers such as Jonathan Edwards. Overall, religion had an important role in the colonization of America, The events that took place during the years increased the influence of religion in America. Religion
the government set up
Each of the 13 American colonies had a slightly different governmental structure. Typically a colony was ruled by a governor appointed from London who controlled the executive administration and relied upon a locally elected legislature to vote taxes and make laws. The tobacco and rice plantations imported African slaves for labor from the British colonies in the West Indies, and by the 1770s they comprised a fifth of the American population. The question of independence from Britain did not arise as long as the colonies needed British military support against the French and Spanish powers; those threats were gone by 1765.
London regarded the American colonies as existing for the benefit of the mother country, a policy known as mercantilism. In Mercantilism, a government should be highly involved in the country's economy. Mercantilism calls for a government to protect the country economically from foreign competitors. This can be described as economic warfare. In the world countries have competitors who can be seen as economic enemies. Each country is trying to grow richer while trying to impoverish their enemies.
Tobacco was big in Europe. It was very fashionable. And in England it had become the vogue, the newest thing to be doing. It was very popular. Lots of English were smoking, chewing, and snorting tobacco. And like any new popular phenomenon it was being promoted as a very good thing to consume. It was being promoted as medicinal. colonists knew if the local tobacco was good, this would be the export product they needed to make Virginia a success. So they eagerly tried the tobacco the natives were smoking, and they gagged. It was wretched. If they thought that, imagine what they would say in Europe. So what appeared to be the solution to their problem fell through. Virginia was in trouble. John Rolfe was an adventurer with the Virginia Company who came to Jamestown. John Rolfe, wanted the colony to be a success. He tried an experiment. He took tobacco seed from the West Indies and worked with it trying to grow it in Virginia. Being several climate zones away, this experiment could easily have failed. But he was successful.
Native American Indians during the Pre-Colonization Era to 1776
The Colonial Period of America covers the era of America before 1776. This era is characterized by Europeans colonizing the Indians who were the first inhabitants of America. Revolutionary Period is the era next to the colonial period. It is actually the effect of the earlier period, as Americans defended themselves and their territory from foreign settlers that lead them to establish revolutions. This paper aimed to investigate how the Indian population survived the period between precolonication until the European colonization. The impact of European settlers had huge and disastrous making the Native American’s demographic collapse due to the following general causes: geographical relocation and removal, disease, genocide and warfare, and destruction of ways of life.
The dearth of evidence has made it unclear when the very first initial contact between the Europeans and Indians was. The first attempt to settle happened in 1585 in the Roanoke but it didn’t last because of the fight with the Native Americans. This had immediately started a fight when the Native Americans refused the English Soldiers’ demand for food (Native North Americans n.d.). On May 14, 1607, the English Explorers were able to establish the first lasting settlement in North America named Jamestown. The settlement was a messed because the English soldiers where were unprepared, they have no food or right crops to eat. Because of this, they suffered from severe famine and starvation which leads them to steal food from the Native Settlers. New settlers arrived but after three years, majority of the settlers were not able to survive because of starvation and from illness (malaria in particular).
The diaries of one of Virginia settlers, Captain Gabriel Archer, state that during those years several Native Americans also died either because of fighting or because of the disease outbreak having no immunities from the disease during those days. The impact was indeed huge for both sides. Together with new arrival settlers, the remaining settlers began cultivating the land planting tobacco. The planting activity had even worsened the situation due to Native's practice of communal land ownership. Given with this situation, there were several hunting grounds began pushing the Native Americans to fight back. This has ended the peaceful relationship of the Native Americans to the English Settlers (Native North Americans, n.d). \
This argument had been supported by John Alexander Williams which stated that “private property” had not been a clear concept to the Indians specially when applied to land. It’s a complete strange idea or concept and practice for the Indians, the idea of having an exclusive use and access in a particular piece of land. Their practice is communal land ownership. This implies that Indians believed that the entire community is owned by people who lived in it (Williams 1993).
The findings of Thornton indicated that the impact is huge and disastrous making the Native American’s demographic collapse due to the following general causes: geographical relocation and removal, disease (including alcoholism), genocide and warfare, destruction of ways of life (Thornton 1942), and treaty disputes (Native North Americans n.d.). Furthermore, one of the major concepts that had lead to treaty disputes was the Native American’s concept of land. As recorded, the natives continued their quest to fight for their hunting grounds and territories. But, their knowledge of private properties “land” was different on the definition of the English Settlers (Native North Americans, n.d).
Furthermore, the situation has exacerbated due to strong attraction of trading of products such as steel hatchets, guns and kettles with the Europeans which made Indians more aggressive and powerful. Europeans also formed alliances with Native American tribes in order to cut out fur trade of the French Settlers (Native North Americans, n.d). According to Fisher, several scholars have claimed that the “fur trade” is an important concept showing the economic partnership of the new settlers to the Native American. Among these scholars were: Bruce Tigger who argued that it was during the “fur trade” that gave way to the establishment of relationship of Native American with the indigenous people; and Arthur Ray who concluded based on his studies that the Native Americans in response to the fur trade has clear understanding of the trade which had direct impact in the demands of both quality and price of goods being exchanged (Fisher, 1946).
With the oppression and different forms of exploitation, Native American Indians had opposed the domination of the European countries from the beginning. However, whenever there is an opposition, the stronger European nation and military could typically get hold of any resistance through their massive force. They will try to resist the domination and even the slave trading but since they don’t have much power than that of European countries, they were unable to stop them from using and selling them as slaves.
Therefore, the arrival and settlement of the Europeans had marked the start of Native American's long holocaust (Newson 1985). This had resulted to the flames of fields and villages, the trading of guns making them more aggressive and the flashes of new settlers. Their settlement was way more destructive than with the presence of the Jews. It indeed has affected the population of the Native American Indians.
"Native North Americans." The National Archive. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/lesson37.htm (accessed February 15, 2014).
Newson, Linda A. "Indian Population Patterns in Colonial Spanish America." Latin American Research Review, 1985: 41-74.
Thornton, R. American Indian Holocaust and Survival: A population History Since 1943. University of Oklohama Press, 1942.
Williams, J.A. West Virginia: A History for Beginners. Charleston: WV Appalachian Editions., 1993.
References
"Religion in Colonial America: Trends, Regulations, and Beliefs." Give Bigotry No SanctionHome.
http://nobigotry.facinghistory.org/content/religion-colonial-america-trends-regulations-and-beliefs
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty. Third ed. Vol. 1. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
"Native American Society on the Eve of British Colonization." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web.
Bonomi, Patricia U. "Under the Cope of Heaven: Religion, Society, and Politics in Colonial America." Google Books. Oxford University, 1986. Web.
http://clio.missouristate.edu/FTMiller/121/Online/LM/origins.htm
http://www2.uncp.edu/home/canada/work/allam/16071783/religion.htm