Since England owned these particular areas of the New World, these colonies were very influenced and affected by their mother country. The social faults, political chaos, and economic distress in England during the early colonial years in America played a role in shaping the English colonial experience. The societal issues that were present in England during the 17th century pushed many people to go to the Americas. The overpopulation in England was a major incentive for many to move across the Atlantic. Another reason for migration was the idea of primogeniture, which allowed the eldest son to inherit the wealth; leaving others desperate and in hopes of finding riches overseas.
Spain and Britain settled in the Americas in the seventeenth century to maximize their potential in economic development and religious practices, however, the Spanish set out on a quest for “Gold, gold, and glory,” while the English wanted to have economic prosperity and religious tolerance. Because of Spain and Great Britain’s superiority in the world, both nations thrived off of their settlements in the Americas. Economic development played a key role in sustaining the settlements of the New World for Spain and Britain, but each country had its own way to develop economically. The Spaniards built their economy from conquistadors who set out across America to find riches and valuables from the natives. They were propelled to gather wealth in America and to increase Spanish prestige.
The Jamestown and Plymouth colonies were established with different economic intentions, leadership, and survival tactics. While Jamestown settlers had Gold and other economical gains on their mind establishing their colony, the Pilgrims sought after religious freedom as they established their colony in Plymouth. Jamestown colonists were outrageous adventurers: “Economic motives prompted colonization in Virginia” (National Park Service). The Plymouth colonists, however, sought America for a different purpose: Freedom from religious persecution motivated the Pilgrims to leave England and settle in Holland, where there was more religious freedom. However, after a number of years the Pilgrims felt that their children were being corrupted by the liberal Dutch lifestyle and were losing their English heritage.
A Fight for Freedom (The Colonialization of Kenya) In the nineteenth century, Kenya was taken over by the British government using the process known as colonialization, which is defined as one nation gaining control of the other. When Europe took over, there were fewer good than bad consequences. Although becoming acquainted with those of Britain came in useful to those with multiple enemies who wanted an advantage over the other civilians, there were many disadvantages that came along as well. For example, land was taken away from farmers which only made the Kenyans even more angry and bitter against the British. There were three main ways that colonialism affected Kenya, including socialism, religious and political.
While establishing the colonies was a universal hardship suffered by all prospective settlers, a closer inspection of various internal and external factors will allow us to understand why it was England that emerged as the dominant presence of the New World. There were many reasons independent of British control that ensured their colonial success in North America. The Spanish had preoccupied resources and were negatively affected by intermittent warfare with various nations, including the Dutch, the French, and the British. (Graebner, Fite, and White 22). They were also more interested in conquering and converting than they were establishing trade routes and settlements ("English, French, and Spanish Exploration (Overview)”).
Both islam and Christianity publicized through societies fiscally through rapid trade and economic systems. The rise, conversion, and spread of islam had spurred from the idea that muslims could escape the expensive taxe that was charged on non-muslims, for the conversion did not require extensive knowledge of the faith. As the conversion of islam rapidly spread, trade encouraged ideas of islam to dispurse along the Indian ocean Maritime System. Also, Christianity was diffused similarly through trade systems entwined within Europe. Traders and merchants picked up the Christian religion and adopted and spread these teachings into their home towns.
Hakluyt also pointed that the overflow of people, both in need of religious freedom and in want of more business opportunities, within England needed a place to go. America is not only perfect for dumping those excess peoples into, but also exceeds that by also bringing profit from those living in those colonies. One of the major points that Hakluyt drives home is the comeuppance to Spain by creating demand for goods and shipping, and thereby creating profit for England and away from the plundering Spanish. From the profits of the taxes and duties of the new shipping industry, Hakluyt believes a powerful navy can be built for the protection and preservation of the growing British Empire. In 1584, when Hakluyt wrote his Discourse, he says that England at the time was swarming with unemployed youths, men, soldiers, prisoners, and beggars.
Causes 1) Europeans used mercantilism (an ideology that believes wealth or growth is measured by capital) to economically restrict and suppress colonies. Colonies were only created to benefit its mother country with profits. The mother country would take raw materials and sell the final goods back to the colonies, but Britain would always take more that they gave. a. The British created monopolies in their colonies by adding protectionist taxes on foreign trade material, economically making British goods and services appear to be at better prices.
In the middle of the 18th century the American colonies experienced two major revivals that had lasting effects on the country regarding religion, government and society. The First Great Awakening was a Christian revitalization movement that swept first European countries and then, in the 1730s and 1740s, the colonies in America. Church leaders, such as Jonathan Edwards or George Whitefield, got concerned that the colonists lost their religious zeal and preached in a dramatic and emotional style, attracting a large following. The new faiths that emerged were much more democratic in their approach and they lessened the hold of the Anglican Church which was later applied to a political field. Through the Awakening, the Colonists realized that religious power resided in their own hands, rather than in the hands of the Church, or any other authority.
Another sub-factor of ideology was Religion where the Europeans set out on excursions to convert from other nations and discovered colonies to Christianity. The nations of Spain and Portugal strong Catholics were well known for these excursions. Another sub-factor under ideology, and one of the main reasons for their voyages was Colonialism. This idea was born out of the theory which idealized economic growth through trades and control. Another broad factor that influenced these excursions was Infrastructure.