History of England and America in the 1600s-1700s

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Name five significant differences between the founding of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colony

The Plymouth Colony was founded under James VI’s ruling; the Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded under Charles I ruling. Plymouth was founded in 1620; Massachusetts was founded in 1630. Plymouth was founded by the Pilgrims (English separatists); Massachusetts was founded by the Puritans (religious minorities). In Plymouth, there were poorly educated farmers and artisans; in Massachusetts, there were well-educated clerks and church representatives. Plymouth’s population is about 2,500 people; Massachusetts’ population is about 20,000 people.

How did the results of the English Civil War in the middle of the 1600s change Virginia society?

The English Civil War was a symbolic test of allegiance for the people of Virginia. The government of Virginia had to decide whom to support, Parliament or the King. Demonstrating neutral positions but being more loyal to the ideas of the King, its governor made Parliament sent a military expedition to the region (Tucker, Arnold, and Wiener 59). It influenced Virginia’s trade relations because all ships were seized.

What three significant events took place in Virginia in 1619? Why was each one significant?

First slaves arrived in Virginia; they were provided with a chance to start living a free life (Russell 16). In 1619, Virginia became a self-ruled region that made it possible to have an impact on the American Revolution. Finally, several women were sent to Virginia that promoted the creation of a gender balance and made the colony more viable in comparison to the others.

What is the importance of the 1735 New York court ruling on libel? How did it differ from similar rulings in England? What does this tell you about the values of the two cultures?

This case was the first example of how the truth should be declared. The jury had to charge Zenger with libel on Governor William Cosby. Still, Zenger was found not guilty. It was the first case when the jury did not follow the orders of the judge but offered their suggestion and affirmed the American press freedom. In contrast, the British press had to be licensed by the government. The British form of press control was stricter than the American one; it proved that the British culture aimed at gaining control over people instead of giving them freedoms.

Trace political and social events in England and how they are related to the founding of any five colonies in America

The founding of such colonies as Jamestown (1607), Plymouth (1607), Massachusetts (1629), Connecticut (1633), and Maryland (1634) was connected with two names of the Kings, James VI (or James I) and Charles I. After the death of Queen Elizabeth in 1603, James VI was crowned (Hammond 11). Though the attempt of a group of English Catholics to depose the King failed, it was a sign that not everything was as right as it was expected.

The King decided to take some serious actions, and one of the first decisions was the colonization of Jamestown after a plague in 1603 took more than 30,000 lives. The beginning of the 1600s was also a period of a great religious revolution, and the society could live a normal life as people had to make solutions, choose the side, and protect their families (Hammond 10). Later, there were more violent and bloody political revolutions against the current government.

In 1625, James I died, and Charles I became the king. His desire to gather as much money as possible caused several misunderstandings among the Parliament representatives and its people. The society had to live and pay taxes or other different forms of penalties to provide the king with the necessary amounts of money. In 1629, Charles I dissolved Parliament and ruled the country for the next 11 years. It was not a good period for the British people as they had to follow the orders and demands of one person, who could not be criticized or improved. Though several colonies were founded, people were not happy about the discoveries made. It was necessary to promote some political changes, and society was ready to take a serious step.

Discuss the Great Awakening – how it impacted society and how it helped to unite colonists from different colonies. Be sure to include how it began and how it spread

The Great Awakening was the period when several people from different colonies decided to resist the leading church doctrine and promote the changes that were crucial for society. At the end of the 1600s, the Church of England was the only leading and legal church in the country. Though it was a means to create one form of control and an attempt to make people follow the same rules and religious traditions, some people could not accept the fact that other religions like Judaism or Catholicism were suppressed.

At the beginning of the 1730s, people started asking more questions about the role of a person in religion as they were impressed by the Enlightenment ideas about individualism and the necessity of personal understanding of what was happening around them. Jonathan Edwards was the first leader, who began to talk about the importance of personal religious experiences. Though the First Great Awakening was defined as a religious but not political phenomenon (Smith 6), Edwards’ speeches touched upon many political leaders as well. Edwards began from Massachusetts, and George Whitefield continued the movement in other parts of Britain. It was hard for political leaders to stop the movements.

People were ready to accept the changes and use a new style of life offered by Edwards, Whitefield, and other prominent leaders. Besides, it is necessary to admit that many women were involved in church affairs, and the Great Awakening gave women from different colonies a chance to be heard and choose the lives they wanted (Conlin 107). In general, the Great Awakening was a chance for all British people and the people of different colonies to gather and speak free regardless of their political preferences.

Discuss the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment and how they helped to change the thinking of Americans in the first half of the 1700s

The Scientific Revolution during the Enlightenment and its outcomes was one of the most remarkable periods at the beginning of the 1700s. It was the time when people got a chance to replace the role of religion with other interesting and reasonable ideas. The representatives of the Church were dissatisfied with the people’s decision to search for a reason in everything that happened around them. People changed their way of thinking. The Americans began to analyze and resist the ideas imposed by the Church.

In the period between the 1500s and the 1600s, when the Scientific Revolution did take place, many researchers and scientists used the ideas offered by their predecessors and proved their correctness, observing nature and making the necessary conclusions. Farmers were one of the first, who began to observe the facts offered by the scientists and accepted the truths offered. This group of people had a chance not to follow the religious laws directly and make their discoveries free from the church. The point was that the church did not find it necessary to control all activities done by farmers. They were obsessed with giving oral orders, promoting speeches, and making people accept religion as something that could not be destroyed. The religious representatives could not even think that a terrible crack in faith came from the inside.

Science had all chances to replace religion with its ability to rely on the facts and make people check the credibility of the information independently. The Age of Enlightenment made it possible for people to use “reason” instead of “blind faith” and get the answers to some questions.

Choose one ethnic group (Dutch, African, German, Scots-Irish) and trace their overall group experience in coming to the New World. When did they originally arrive? Why? Under what circumstances? How were they originally treated socially, economically, and politically? How did this change over time (up to 1750) and why?

The African ethnic group is one of the brightest examples of how people can survive the entrance barriers to the New World. The overall experience of this group of people in coming to the New World is rich indeed and began in the 1500s when the Africans were used as slaves in the San Miguel de Gualdape Colony. Enslaved Africans were not satisfied with the conditions under which they have to live and work, and they raised rebellions to protect their rights (Juang and Morrissett 997).

With time, as soon as the rebellions were decreased, it was a popular thing to use people from different places in Africa as a cheap and effective working power. At the beginning of the 1600s, the English people could not live under severe conditions and die. It was necessary to search for more people to work, and more Africans were found to be slaves and perform all kinds of work. As a rule, young men and women were chosen for such works. Even though the conditions were harsh, many Africans were eager to sign contracts and agree to the arrival of the New World. They believed that they got an opportunity to change their lives. Still, the reality was far from their dreams.

Africans were slaves with no rights and freedoms. Their intentions to enter the New World were not enough to change the situation, and they were poorly treated in all aspects, social, economic, and political. The absence of rights deprived them of the opportunity to solve something. With time, the only noticeable change that took place was the legalization of slavery that provided people with an opportunity to buy, sell, and use the Africans legally.

Works Sited

Conlin, Joseph. The American Past: A Survey of American History, Volume I: to 1877. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.

Hammond, John. Volume 1: Family and Mormon Church Roots: Colonial Period to 1820: The Quest for the New Jerusalem: A Mormon Generational Saga. Bloomington, IN: Xlibris Corporation, 2011. Print.

Juang, Richard, M and Noelle Anne Morrissette. Africa and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History: A Multidisciplinary Encyclopedia, Volume 3. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2008. Print.

Russell, John, H. The Free Negro in Virginia 1619-1865. New York, NY: Cosimo, Inc, 2009. Print.

Smith, John, H. The First Great Awakening: Redefining Religion in British America, 1725-1775.Lanham, MA: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. Print.

Tucker, Spencer, Arnold, James, R., and Roberta Wiener. The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Wars, 1607-1890: A Political, Social, and Military History. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2011. Print.

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