Colonial history: causes, impacts, and global perspectives

Colonial History

Subsequent to the discovery of the American continent, and, to the times when the Native-Americans posed a significant threat to the new-comers, the New World was opened and full of possibilities for anyone that wanted to live there. England during the early seventeenth century had been a land filled with sinners and with small groups of people devoted to following the laws of God.

The Puritans had reluctantly accepted to live in a society of sin for years since they had no other option. However, they saw the American continent as a chance for them to escape Europe and to form a decent society. The reason for why they chose America as a place in which religion could flourish was because they had been aware of the fact that they wouldn't encounter such a strong resistance to religion as they did back home. They considered that it would not be difficult to create such a society because of the fact that it would be composed out of dedicated Puritans.

One of the main reasons for which Puritans failed in their attempt to create a perfect religious society was that they considered that they could not act without first consulting the bible and take actions according to what it instructed. When they encountered resistance in their actions, they believed that it had been a mere coincidence, as they considered themselves to be immune to failure.

The Puritans were not prepared to face the difficulties of creating a colony at the time that they chose to. As a result, numerous Puritans died shortly after establishing their base on the American continent. The Puritans had initially claimed that they were believers and that they followed to laws of God in their struggle to convert the natives to Christianity. However, as it was later proved, they were merciless towards the Indians, stealing their possessions and using extreme violence in order to subject them.

2. At the time that Europeans landed on the American continent, the natives had been undeveloped and regarded the new-comers as being god-like because of the impressive accessories that they had.

Because of the cultural mix that resulted consequent to the coming of Europeans, Africans, and people of other ethnicities in America across time, the country ultimately became a symbol of variety.

One major advantage that was a result of the interaction between the Native-Americans and the Europeans is that the two nations have collaborated in exchanging important cultural values. While the Europeans introduced technology into the New World, the natives welcomed their guests with essential notions of spirituality.

Another advantage of the cross-cultural mix that occurred on the American continent is that the country resulting from it is now a world power. One of the reasons for which the U.S. has succeeded in becoming what it is today is that it had been influenced through time by the diverse ethnicities that have worked together in shaping the country.

The Spanish were the most successful in making cultural exchanges with the Indians. The Spanish and the Indians exchanged both normal things such as skills and tools, and, they have also exchanged more important issues such as notions of economy and politics.

One of the disadvantages that were an effect of the cultural interactions during the colonization era was that Europeans changed some concepts which were essential for the natives, as they were gradually taught to pay more attention to a material world than to a spiritual one.

Because of the European culture largely differed from theirs, the Native-Americans felt that were culturally oppressed. Many Indian lives had been ruined as a result of Indians wanting to adopt certain European principles. In spite of the fact that they managed to keep some cultural values as they were moved to a new continent, the cultural exchange between Africans and Europeans has had some deficiencies. Europeans generally wanted other cultures to assimilate in theirs, and, as a result, they did not allow some minorities to keep their customs.

3. The American continent seemed to be a land of dream for virtually anyone that wanted to start a new life on a land filled with great riches. Most people that left their countries did so in hope that America would be everything that they had dreamed of. However, once they arrived on the new continent, people discovered that only some privileged groups enjoyed the benefits of living in America.

Among the first major nations to have their people leaving for America were the Irish and the Germans. Life in Europe during the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries had been difficult, with the lower classes living in extreme poverty. As a result, people saw the opportunity of establishing themselves in a place where they would escape their problems. People coming to America from countries other than England generally received harsh treatments because the English felt that North America mostly belonged to them.

While white people coming to America did so in search of freedom and riches, black people had a totally different fate in store for them. Black people were brought into America as slaves and could have no dreams since they knew that freedom was an inaccessible concept.

The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries have been a period in which women were still regarded as not being qualified to fulfil complex missions. Both in their home country, and in America, women were generally responsible for performing simple tasks such as cooking and taking care of children. Thus, not a lot of women living during the time have managed to enjoy life in a land of freedom and of opportunity.

4. Two of the most successful regions of colonies in America were New England and Chesapeake. Both regions had been taken and colonized by the English after they had become alarmed by the fact that most major countries already had an American colony at the time.

In spite of having been taken by the English at about the same time, the two regions were very different. One of the main reasons for the difference had been the fact that the colonies had been created with different purposes.

The New England region had been colonized by religious people that wanted to break free from a perverted religious system in Europe. The colonies had been created because of religious reasons, with the colonists wanting to have freedom in expressing their religion and a land fit for them to do so.

Chesapeake had been a place where most colonists had come because of the typical reason for which one would choose to come to America: to get rich fast. People wanted to exploit everything that they found in order to make money.

As it had been expected, the two regions of colonies were favored by different types of settlers, with New England being generally preferred by religious people, while Chesapeake being normally preferred by anyone that wanted to make money.

The economies of the two regions also differed, with Chesapeake having tobacco as its main source of money, and New England having its people earning money from several sources such as fishing and farming.