England Colonies Dbq

England hummed with social and economic change after the 17th century. The joint-stock company flourished with new investors and colonies began to form under England. Peace and unity within England, control of the Atlantic due to the defeat of the Spanish Armada, and the willingness of citizens to leave provided England with many reasons to colonize. The economic theory of mercantilism arose and England began to send settlers over to the new world to colonize in efforts to increase England’s wealth and power. High levels of poverty and a surplus population led citizens to seek social mobility and economic prosperity in the new world. Similarly, the Protestant Reformation provoked religious turmoil and led unhappy citizens to escape religious

Penn welcomed those in Pennsylvania with the freedom to elect members of the assembly, he invited “all the Freemen, Planters and Adventurers, and other Inhabitants of this Province and Territories, these following Liberties, Franchises and Privileges.”5 The first law the assembly passed guaranteed religious freedom to all who “confess[ed] and acknowledge[ed] one Almighty God to be the Creator, Upholder and Ruler of the world."6 Furthermore, Pennsylvania guaranteed all liberties to those who recognized God, the almighty but did not force people to convert. For example, the Quakers in Pennsylvania had a strong relationship with the neighboring Native American tribes and did not force conversion. Written in The Property of Pennsylvania Penn makes a point to allow Native American’s to exercise their religion freely, he states, “The Natives I shall consider in their persons, language, manners, religion, and government, with my sense of their original.”7 Pennsylvania exercised freedom of religion for all in opposition to the Quakers oppressed status in England

The purpose of Georgia, as described by Rachel Christian, a scholar, "was supposed to serve as a home not for convicts, but for those ‘Poor Subjects [who] are through misfortunes and want of Employment reduced to great necessities’".11 Founder James Oglethorpe originally founded Georgia to save "wretched souls" from debtor's prison. In 1728 while Oglethorpe worked for English parliament a close friend , Robert Castell, was committed to debtor's prison. His death and appalling state in prison sparked Oglethorpe's strive for prison reform and led to the creation of Georgia as a penal colony to release English citizens from unmerciful oppression. Found in Cooper's biography of Oglethorpe, his anonymous writings show his wish to create a refuge for English debtor's, he writes, "Must they starve? What honest heart can bear to think of it ? Must they be fed by the contributions of others? Certainly they must, rather than be suffered to perish. I have heard it said, and it is easy to say so, "Let them learn to work; let them subdue their pride and descend to mean employments; keep ale-houses or coffee houses, even sell fruit or clean shoes for an honest