For centuries, explorers from different nations ventured to North America in hopes of finding gold or civilization. Since nothing of great importance was found, overseas exploration during the first half of the 16th century was inhibited. After a few attempts at colonization in America, England became the first to create a successful colony in 1607, known as Jamestown. Many English colonies began to form after that point as a result of the success of Jamestown. Since England owned these particular areas of the New World, these colonies were very influenced and affected by their mother country.
That type of community could not possibly set up a foundation for a well organized, successful, educated, and fast - progressing society. The Puritans, who settled in New England ten years later, were creators of the stable system, based on their strong religious beliefs and prototype of Capitalist and Individualist society, which the United States based on, today. The Puritans settlement should be the main focus in the history books as the true beginning of the United States of America. One of the main reasons the Pilgrims story is a myth is that they did not come to America for religious freedom. They already had it in Holland, where they escaped from persecution in England.
These men were not the type to do hard labor works. Men in Jamestown didn’t produce any food and depended on the food supply they brought from England, which didn’t last long. Fortunately, colonists in Jamestown got food supply from the Native there, which helped Jamestown to survive the first winter. Moreover, colonists in Jamestown also suffered from diseases. Besides, another major problem encountered by the colonists there was polluted water.
Another difference was the difference between who did the work in developing the colony. The colonies differing views on religion also helped shape the way each colony developed economically. The Virginia and Massachusetts Companies both realized that they would need to have a strong economic system, but their views on religion and profit had too many differences and resulted in different systems. The Puritans did not feel the need for “excessive profits” and lived by the belief of self control. The use of company labor and overpricing caused a lot of problems with Virginians.
So, they immigrated to America to follow their ideals, which are expressed in Document A. They also tried to set up a democracy to show that religion was more important than money, as seen in Documents D and E. The colonists that settled in the Chesapeake region, however, were not as religious and lacked a similar aim. Document C describes the settlers of Virginia as older single men and a few older women. Based on this information, it can be concluded that the Virginian colonists were not planning on staying long in the New World and they were not there to create a democracy. Their main purpose was to dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load gold, and they would treat the other colonials as slaves to get it (document F).
Contrary to popular belief, the American Revolution did not bring about change, because the rights, class structure and government remained the status quo in the colonies. For the most part, the rights of the colonists did undergo a transformation because of the Revolutionary War. It is a widely held belief that the war was declared in defense of the natural rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, the war did little in protecting these rights. After the war, there was still no liberty for blacks; in fact, the colonists disliked the idea of granting freedom to Blacks that they refused their offer to fight on the side of the patriots.
They had deep knowledge of their land, source of water,and the seasonal cycle of plant food. However, the European settlement brought catastrophic impacts to them. Firstly, they were not able to assess the land and obtain the resources such as food, herbs, stones which were necessary to maintain their lifestyles and health status. In the tradition indigenous culture, most of the information were pass down from one generation to the next. Unfortunately, many of the elders were killed by those mortal diseases, thus a lot of valuable cultural information such as the usage of nature medicines were lost so more and more people have got sick.
Therefore, because people were so undernourished they had many diseases which became epidemics. Many people weren’t having enough vitamin c therefore resulting in them having scurvy, other diseases became epidemics; influenza, small pox and syphilis due to poor living conditions. Also, due to poor conditions the infant mortality rate was high and many children did not make it to their fifteenth birthday while life expectancy for adults was mid-thirties. Poor people died so young because their living conditions were terrible. They lived in their own filth and waste because there were no sewers or drainage to take it away, even when they threw it out of the house it would drain into the nearby rivers.
While Holland was religiously tolerant, the country required the Pilgrims to work difficult jobs that were hard on their bodies. In addition to health concerns, the Pilgrims were afraid that the younger members of their congregation were losing touch with their English heritage. They felt like embarking on a journey to the New World would let them establish a community with their own religion and English culture (17). The Pilgrims’ journey was supported by a group of investors known as Merchant Adventurers. Represented by Thomas Weston, the investors were responsible for finding a boat to transport the Pilgrims and periodically sending them supplies during their first years in the New World.
American law first started to develop while the colonies where still under English rule. According to Janel McCarthy, “Although very few colonies could afford legal training in England, they remained remarkably familiar with English common law.” Even though the colonists were able to stay familiar with English law, this is a sign of English law losing influence over the people. After a while the colonists began to interpret English law in a new and different way. The colonists also began to make new laws for situations that had not been encountered before. “By the 1760’s the colonist had come to believe that in America they were creating a place that adopted the best of the English system but adapted it to new circumstances; a place where a person rise by a merit, not birth; a place where men could voice their opinions and actively share in self-government”(McCarthy).