** American history the 17th century English colonies








American History: The English Colonies


Figure 1.--.

The first permanent English colony was Jamestown in Viginia (1609). The second was Plymouth in Masschusetts (1620). The two were very different. Jamestown was set up to exploit the natural resources much as the Spanish had done in South America. Only after gold was not found did the colony shift to agriculture, especially tobacco. The colony developed on a rather aristocratic basis and the established Anglican church of England prevailed. The agricultural system shifted in the 17th century from endentured English workers to African slaves working large plantations. The Plymouth Colony was established by the Pigrims, puritanical religious desenters entent on separation from the established Church of England and the agriculural developed on the basis of small family plans. Other colonies followed and ge colonies became more diverse. The two original colonies were the two basic poles around which the northern and southern colonies developed. Despite the differences there were some important common threads. First, all the colonies adopted English law and representative government. Second, the prevailing religion was Protesantism in all its many forms with the stress on individual conscious and responsibility. Third, a spirit of toleration gradually developed, primarily because so many different Protestant denominations developed that no one denomination could dominate.

Types of Colonies

England in the 17th century began experimenting with coonization. The furst colonies outside the British isles were in North America, including the Atlantic coast of the mainland, Bermuda and the Caribbean, beginnjng with Barbados. therre was no template for empire. The resultung colonies were thus experiments. The monarchy was nominally soverign in all of thee colonies, but different forms were used in the colonization process and a range of limitations and rights were established on the people involved. In addition to royal colonies theoreyically ruled by Britain there were charter and proptritary colonies which were free to make theot own laws. The status of several colonies changed over time. A major factor in the colonization process was that a rift between parliament and the monarchy developed leading to the English Civil War (1642-41). A quick victory of the War would have affected the colonies, but the fact that the War and insatability of the Commonwealth meant that for decades at a formative period that the colonies were on their own. This meant that in addition to the original charters and institutions, each of the colonies developed largely 'home-grown' governments and institutions which geneated laws, provided for their defense, and stablished tax and revenue systems. Eventually after the Restoration (1660) and even more so the Glorious Revolution (1688), the Crown began to regularize the imperial structure and bring the colonoes under greater control. All the colonies finally converted to royal colobies with governors appointed by the Crown.

Individual Colonies

The first permanent English colony was Jamestown in Viginia (1609). The second was Plymouth in Masschusetts (1620). The two were very different. Jamestown was set up to exploit the natural resources much as the Spanish had done in South America. Only after gold was not found did the colony shift to agriculture, especially tobacco. The colony developed on a rather aristocratic basis and the established Anglican church of England prevailed. The agricultural system shifted in the 17th century from endentured English workers to African slaves working large plantations. The Plymouth Colony was established by the Pigrims, puritanical religious desenters entent on separation from the established Church of England and the agriculural developed on the basis of small family plans. Other colonies followed and the colonies became more diverse. The two original colonies were the two basic poles around which the northern and southern colonies developed. Several colonies broke off from Plymouth Colony which becae known as Mssacusetts. The Dutch and Swedish colonies were captued and reinstituted as English colonies. New Amsterdam became New York. Charles II gave it as a fiedom to his brother the Duke of York--the future James II. In true Stuart fashion, he tried to admnister it without a representative assembly. James awarded the land that became New Jersey to two staunch Stuart supporters. A Quaker ho had intersts in New Jersey, Willim Penn, received a charter for Pennsylvania because Charles II owed his father a debt. Charles also gave the land tht became the Carolinas to courtiers who supported him during his exile. North and South Carolin developed along very different lines. Georgia whch became a buffer against Spain's colony in Florida was settled by trustees headed by humanitarian James Oglethorpe. The charter was granted by George II, the only royal charter not granted by a Stuart monarch.

Confederation of New England (1643)

The bloody fighting in the Connecticut Valley with the Pequots made it clear to the colonists that they could not rely on far away England for protection. Not only was distance a problem, but the spiraling conflict between King harles I and Parliament made it increasingly less likely that assistance would be forthcoming. Thus the settlers organized the Condederation of New England (1643). The primary purpose was mutual defense, but the Confederation addressed other problems such as eun-away endentured servants, escaped prisoners, and other vufatives. There was even consideration of negotiating treaties with foreign governments. The Conderation began to unravell after only 20 years. A major problem was the attempt if Massachusetts to dominnate the Condederation, The Crown als balked with the Confederation began negotiating with the French in Canada. and the Dutch in New Amsterdam. The English seizure of New Amsterdam (1664) was a major factor in unraveling the Confederation..

Common Bonds

Despite the differences there were some important common threads. First, all the colonies adopted English law and representative government. Second, the prevailing religion was Protesantism in all its many forms with the stress on individual conscious and responsibility. Third, a spirit of toleration gradually developed, primarily because so many different Protestant denominations developed that no one denomination could dominate. And this spirit of toleration was gradually extended to Catholics and Jews.

Basic Problem

While there were many common bonds, thre was also a basic conflict og interet. This did not exist when the American colonies were founded. It becme a major issue by the late-18th century. The English colonies, like the other European colonies, were founded for the benefit of the mother country. They were to secure gold and slver as well as other and agricultural products that could not be grisn in Euroipe (such as tobacco and sugar) and markets fo manufatured goods. This view of the colonies was still the dominant English view in he kte-18th century. And Parliament passed laws to make sure that this relation was maintained. Notice tht it wa Parlimnt not the king tht was insusting oin thi rektionship. The Patriots tried to make the Revolution a conflicvt vbetwwe tyhe coloinl legislstures nd King George. It was not. It was a conflict between the colonial legislatures and the Westminster Parliament for supremecy. Parlianment restriucted the devedloomeny of manbufcturing in the colonies, mifration beyound the Appalachians, and trade with foreign countries prohibited. The colonists developed a different view of the Empire. Men like Washington and Franklikn grew up seeing themselves as Englishmen and were staunc supporters of Britain gradually were turned into Americanns by the WEestminister Parliament. They grew up with a vision of Britain and America as two great poles of the Empire. They gradually realised that Parliament woulkd never allow this. And the English would never fully them into the centers of power. Britain was not a monolith. There were differences of opinion in Westminster, but the view that the colonies existed solely to benefit the mother country was the dominant view. Washington began to realise this fairly early when he was refused a commission in the British Army. Franklin was later to realise this. His point of realisation came in London at the Cockpit wehere the Privy Council met (1774). Alexander Wedderburn, British solicitor general, proceeded to berate Franklin, virutally calling him a traitor. Wedderburn was incensed by the incresing disorder in Boston and Masachusetts in general. Franklin stood mute and did not reply. No one had worked harder to keep America and Britain together. It is said that he went into the Cockpit and Englisman and left an American. The other Founding Farthers had various points of realization.







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Created: 8:29 PM 5/12/2007
Last updated: 7:13 PM 4/7/2022