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Colonialism in seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
British imperial policy during colonial period
Colonialism in seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
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DBQ - Democracy in Colonial America Essay Due to British political traditions the 13 colonies One democratic feature is the control of the abuse of power, it means that no person/persons can disobey or break our laws and get away with it not even government leaders. For example say our president broke a law he would not get any special treatment he would have the same punishment as as everyone else which is explained in document 6: Engraving of Virginia's House of Burgess's.
As you can see the New England colonies were different from the other colonies. The Middle Colonies were also very different from the other
The two colonies differed politically. “God Almighty in his most holy and wise providence hath so disposed of the condition of mankind, [that]in all times some must be rich, some poor, some high and eminent in power and dignity, other mean and in subjection” (Doc. A).The New England colony was a representative democracy; they held town meetings. It placed emphasize on having poor and rich families because of the importance of an equal society with representation from all sectors of life. “We intend by God's grace, as soon as we can, with all convenient speed, to procure some Godly and faithful minister with whom we purpose to join in church covenant to walk in all the ways of Christ” (Doc. D).
The 13 Colonies are broken down into 3 parts, Middle, Southern, and New England Colonies. There were many similarities and differences between all of the 13 Colonies. Many of them ranging from their climate and geography to the role women and African Americans played. A variety of people came from all around the world to the 13 Colonies for many different reasons. In the Middle Colonies, there was a very diverse population.
There are many governmental policies from early colonial times that have helped shaped our Constitutional Republic. More specifically, there are policies that we still use today. For instance, execution used to consist of public hanging, branding, and the use of the guillotine. Today, execution is a less common punishment. However when it is used, it is in a more humane and dignified fashion, often using lethal injection.
Early American colonies were the base of what it is now known the United States of America. Although almost all of the colonies were from the same time period each colony differed from each other. Some of the colonies differed by their economic system and also by their way of running their colony, their government. Also, the colonies differed from their culture and their way they lived. In addition, the New England and the Chesapeake colonies were not the exception they also differed from each other.
I also learnt about the type of government that Connecticut had, the type of colony was a charter colony, this basically meant that the british colony and american colonists had an idea and agreement about how the government would be ran and the amount of power each group had.
The settling of the Northern Colonies began with the arrival of the Pilgrims, or Puritan separatists, to Plymouth. The Massachusetts Bay Colony, led by John Winthrop, was formed shortly after and became known as the "Bible Commonwealth" for its large religious influence. However, religious tensions began to arise with dissidents like Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams. The Rhode Island Colony was formed as a haven for these dissenters and exiles, and it became known as being strongly liberal and individualistic. The third New England colony, Connecticut, was led by Thomas Hooker and was the first to establish a "modern constitution" through the Fundamental Orders.
Life in the colonies would be hard but, some people had it easy. There was rich and poor and people in the middle. There were also many things to do and be. Some aspects in life are down below and there are many more like African Americans, leisure, and cities. So there are many aspects of life in the colonies and some people had it easy and some didn’t.
The colonies that were founded were either a Royal colony, this is when the government had full control of the colony. Another type of colony will be a proprietary colony, where one or two people had the right to rule by the British crown. A proprietary colony was the most common type of colony, but at the end all 13 colonies were under the rule of the British government. To earn the right to land you had to get a charter, a document giving you right to land in the New World. This was issued by the king and in return you must promise to give
2. Describe the features of colonial government & the two exceptions to this system? The features of colonial government were based on the English system of a head of state and a bicameral legislature. The two exceptions to this system were Pennsylvania and Georgia because they had a single legislative house.
Although the separation from England was a united movement, not all colonies settled for the same reasons. Therefore, as a result of this difference, each colony had its own motives to base its social foundation on. In the “Charter of Privileges Granted by William Penn, esq. to the Inhabitants of Pennsylvania and Territories, October 28, 1701”, it is exemplified how the guidelines set up after colonization was used to attract a certain group of people wanted by the Proprietary and Governor. The charter relinquished to the colony of Pennsylvania, was an articulation of the newly endowed rights given to the people, as well as, an act of appeal.
The colonists came from several parts of Europe, which includes: France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and most colonists from England and Scotland. Their knowledge about politics originated from their experience with the English form of government. America’s first written constitution was called the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. Nevertheless, the thirteen colonies were still being ruled by the British Monarchy which was thousands of miles away. Through the participation in colonial governments, the colonials greater knowledge and experience.
There were many differences between the two colonies when it came down to their political systems. First, both colonies were greatly influenced by Governors. This influence can be seen by Sir William Berkeley when he describes that the, “Governors…laid the Foundation of our wealth and industry on the vices of men”. This statement shows that the governors that were in the Jamestown colony had a profound influence during the beginning of their colony. Another thing to note about the Jamestown colony was in Frethorne’s letter when he stated that, “we took two alive and made slaves of them… it was by policy”.
Their policies and methods of colonization were consistent in every region they conquered because of this fact. The British colonies were inconsistent because the they were controlled by both the king and stock companies, which meant that different colonies had different incentives to settle. This hybrid of authority in each region meant that the North American colonies cannot be studied thematically as a whole, rather they must be analyzed as individual cases. These differences were determined by the motivations to settle the colonies and what environment the people lived