Colonial America: Settlement and Governance
Within a span of over a hundred years between the seventeenth century and the early eighteenth century, immigration was more rampant, as people migrated from Europe to America. This was one of the greatest folk wandering of history. The migration of people, impelled by diverse motivation and power, create a nation or a state out of the wilderness and, by its nature, shaped the character and destiny of an uncharted continent. The American government was founded as a result of various principal forces. That is the immigration of people from Europe who had diverse customs, national characteristic, and ideas as well as the creation of a country that modified all the distinctive characteristics of the European cultural traits. As a matter of fact, colonial governments in American were a projection of Europe. Hence, the paper will identify and discuss the apparent influence of various factors that influenced the pre-revolutionary American government.
During the seventeenth century and early eighteenth century, Englishmen, Germans, French men, Scots, Dutchmen, Irishmen, Swedes among other people from various continents successfully crossed the Atlantic Ocean with the intention of transplanting their traditions and habits to their new world. However, the unavoidably such as forces of graphical factors or conditions that were peculiar to America, the interaction of various national groups with one another as well as the challenge of maintaining or sustaining the old-world way of life in the new area, a new country led to significant changes. The changes occurred gradually, and they were even scarcely visible. Hence, these changes led to the foundation of a nation with new social patterns, which in many aspects resembled European culture, but with a specific character that was definitely American.
The first immigration to America founded what is now referred to in the United States of America. Those immigrants crossed the Atlantic Ocean after the sixteenth century with the intention of exploring North America. During that time, the Spanish had already established their colonies in the West Indies, Mexico, and also in South America. They come in small numbers, but skills in the craft were unmatched as compared to the other colonies that were already established. During their traveling duration, they were subsisted on paltry rations. Many of their carriages were lost; many immigrants died as a result of diseases. The sight of the American shore was a relief to them. Many of their infants could also not survive, and they died on their journey.
To the immigrants, the sight of the shore of American brought inexpressible relief. Some said that “The air at twelve leagues’ distance smelt as sweet as a new-blown garden.” The immigrants’ first glimpse of the new American land was a vista full of dense woods. The virgin land with variety and profusion of trees which they perceived as veritable treasure-house and the forest extended for over 13,000 miles from south of Georgia to north of Maine. The forest was abundant with lumber and fuel, raw materials for furniture and building houses, potash and ships, naval and dyes stores.
John Smith wrote “heaven and earth” in praise of Virginia colony, the colony that he helped to found, never agreed better to frame a place for man’s habitation.” Willian Pen, in his colony, he said, “the air is sweet and clear, the heavens serene.” These statements from both founder of the two colonies reflects to the inevitable climate as well as the native food. The sea flourished in crabs and oysters, lobster and cod, in the forests, quail and turkeys “incredible and fat of white,” geese, squirrels, elk, and many other animals for meat were abundant. Fruits, berries, and nuts grew everywhere and they soon discovered that sustainable foods such as beans and peas and pumpkins and corn could do well when cultivated. Later, the immigrants realized that grains could also be grown as well as transplanted trees can also do well. Goats, sheep, cows, and swine trove well in the land too.
The new land was bizarrely endowed by nature; in addition, trade between the new settlers and the Europeans was essential as the new settlers needed to import articles or products that they could not produce. Here, the coastal lines were of great importance and served well. The ocean shores provided many harbors and inlets, but two areas in Southern New-Jersey and North Carolina lacked inlets and inlets for shipment of imported products or articles. Majestic rivers such as Connecticut, the Kennebec found in Maine, Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna, New York’s Hudson, the Potomac found in Virginia, and other various North American coastal rives linked the ports and coastal plains; hence, such lands were linked to Europe. Among all the east coast rivers found in North American, only Canada’s St. Lawrence River, which was held by the French colonist, offered water transportation to the interior of the new land.
Lack of water pathways, in addition, to the formidable barrier, the Appalachian Mountains, discouraged movements across the coastal plain lands. Only traders and trappers with the light pack trains were able to cross to the plains. Over the years, new settlers managed to built settlements only along the eastern shore.
It was the rivers and shoreline that enabled the new settlers to spread to the south and north along with the land that was traversed with arteries used in the transportation system. Only several colonists in America were independent communities and connected to the sea by outlets. The community’s separateness, in addition to the distance between their settlements, prevented the formation or development of a unified and centralized government or state. Each colony, therefore, become an entity that was separated from the others, marked with a strong individuality which later in the history of America lead to the concept of “state rights.” However, despite strong individualism among the colonies, the problem of navigation, commerce, currency, and manufacturing cut across the boundaries and hence necessitated the formation or formulation of common rules and regulations through after the independence, led to inevitably of the federation.
The presence of colonists in America in the seventeenth century was due to careful management and planning, as well as of the consideration of risks and expenses. A colonist has to travel for over 3000 miles across oceans and seas. In the travel, they needed clothing, utensils, food, building materials, tools, seeds, arms, and ammunition. Emigration to America from England was not a result of fostered government policies, which contrasts other countries’ colonization policies and colonization of other periods. Rather, the emigration to America from Europe as a result of initiatives taken by an individual or unofficial groups. Massachusetts and Virginia colonies were founded by companies. Such companies funded by private investors used the funds for transportation purposes to equip as well as to maintain the colonist.
New Haven colony is a unique case where the colonist themselves financed equipment and transport of their servants and families. Other settlements such as the Maine, New-Hampshire, the Carolinas, Maryland, New Jersey as well as Pennsylvania initially belonged to the proprietors, that is the members of English nobility or gentry whom, as landlords, developed or advanced as a result of their resources to settle servant and tenants on the lands they were granted by their kings in a similar way like they would have been granted land at home. For instance, Charles I granted his heirs and Cecil Calvert land of over 7 million acres. This land later becomes the Maryland colony, Pennsylvania, and the Carolinas colonies were founded as a result of grants from Charles II. Precisely, these chartered companies and proprietors founded the colonies, but the land payments were only made symbolically. For instance, Baltimore had to pay arrowheads every year to king two Indian, and Penn William had to contribute beaver skins each year.
Some colonies were founded simply as an offshoot of other colonies. Connecticut and Rhode colonies were founded by settlers from the Massachusetts colony. Georgia colony was as established as a result of compassionate reasons by Edward James and other philanthropic Englishmen. Their plan actually was to release all imprisoned debtors from jails so as to send them to America and establish a settlement or a colony to serve as a bulwark so as to go against the Spaniards.
The most compelling motives that induced settlers to migrate to America were their desire for better and greater economic stabilities or opportunities. The urge for better economic opportunities was reinforced by other essential considerations like the desire for religious freedom, desire to escape from oppression from governments, or the desire for adventure. During the 1620s and 1630s European countries were swept with economic challenges or difficulties, and the majority of the people could not even secure any place to work. Even the most proficient artisans were paid little, and they could not sustain their families. Bad climatic conditions also led to more troubles and challenges. In addition, the expansion of the woolen industry in England demanded an increased supply of raw materials in order to keep the industry moving and, therefore, who reared sheep had to encroach hitherto soils over to the village.
Concurrently, during the seventeenth century, religious upheavals led a body of women and men who referred themselves as Puritans wanted to reform the already established church from within. Essentially, what they had planned needed complete support from the national church, more specifically in support of individual conduct since it was the church’s responsibility. Their ideas to reform the church threatened to create division among people as well as to undermine all royal authorities through the destruction of the unity of the church. Separatists, a radical sect, had a strong belief that the already established the reformations that were suggested cannot be towards their favor. These led to a small group of people free from the country and moved to Holland, Leyden, where they had the freedom of their religious beliefs. Later on, the pilgrim colony was established as a result of the group that fled to Leyden.
It is worthy to conclude that various factors influenced the established American government before pre-revolutionary time. Colonies enjoyed their political independence as a result of growing away from their mother countries and also the privilege of becoming American. This tendency of becoming Americans was reinforced through blending different cultures and norms and other groups, which led to a new pattern of social life.