What crime existed in the colonies? How was this different or the same as in the lands from where colonists came?
Although the early colonists clearly brought with them vestiges of their previous culture and country, living in the New World produced new social and economic factors that gave rise to new worldviews and also new forms of crime. But initially, there was relatively little crime. For many early colonists, religious cohesion, the lack of diversity within their society, and above all a desire for survival meant that crimes such as murder and robbery were scarce, particularly in Puritan New England (p. 39). The most common crimes were so-called vice crimes, or violations of the very strict standards which governed colonial society. Gambling had been very popular in England and existed within the colonies, as did heavy drinking. But while this was tolerated in the Southern colonies, in the Northern and…...
Principal intellectual movements Anglo-American colonies eighteenth century: Great Awakening Enlightenment." You sources relevant paper. Use Reich's Colonial America reference research report if draw material source assigned, footnotes book, article,
The Great Awakening and the Enlightenment:
Wrestling for the souls and the minds of colonial settlers in the Americas
The colonial period in the Americas was a time of intense intellectual ferment. Two seemingly contradictory intellectual movements arose: that of the Great Awakening and the American Enlightenment. The Great Awakening was a period of religious revivalism that arose within the New England and Mid-Atlantic colonies. The American version of the Enlightenment, a movement which began in Europe, was characterized by intellectual curiosity and a belief in the need for rationalism over superstition when governing human affairs. oth of these conceptions of the 'human' shaped the future, evolving history of America.
While many of the American colonies were founded by people fleeing the persecution of…...
mlaBibliography
"The Great Awakening." Wake Forest University. December 17, 2010
http://www.wfu.edu/~matthetl/perspectives/four.html
Hooker, Richard. "The American Enlightenment." World Civilizations. Updated June 6, 1999.
December 17, 2010
religion in the Anglo-American colonies between 1607 and 1763. By the time America was on the brink of revolution, religion had altered in American society.
When the first settlers came to America, most of them were strict and pious Puritans who fled England because of their religious beliefs. One writer says of the earliest settlers in New England thought that, "a strong church was the handmaiden and bulwark of a stable state" (Bonomi 13). However, by 1763, there were many more settlers in America than just Puritans, and religious beliefs had changed radically in many areas. The Puritans no longer dominated religion, and there was already a melting pot of cultures, ideals, and religious beliefs. What led to this change? Mostly it was a relaxing of strict Puritanical beliefs blended with an influx of settlers from other countries who brought along their own religions and beliefs.
When America was first settled,…...
mlaReferences
Bonomi, Patricia U. Under the Cope of Heaven: Religion, Society, and Politics in Colonial America. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
Lippy, Charles H., Robert Choquette, and Stafford Poole. Christianity Comes to the Americas, 1492-1776. 1st ed. New York: Paragon House, 1992.
Niebuhr, H. Richard. "The Protestant Movement and Democracy in the United States." The Shaping of American Religion. Eds. Smith, James Ward and A. Leland Jamison. Vol. 1. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1961. 20-71.
Wright, Louis B. The Atlantic Frontier: Colonial American Civilization, 1607-1763. 1st ed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1947.
American Expansion
American Territorial Expansion: The Louisiana Purchase
American territorial expansion was the top priority of ashington DC for every decade of the 19th century, including the Civil ar years. The new territory all came to Americans through treaties or conquest, and thus promoted the isolationist "Manifest Destiny" prerogative of strengthening the American continent. The earliest and largest territorial expansion of the 19th century was the Louisiana Purchase, doubling the size of the American states. The Louisiana Purchase was made with the short-term bolstering of Thomas Jefferson's government in the near-term, yet with deep concerns for the security of the new land and how and who should settle the land in the long-term.
The Louisiana Purchase was not a decision taken lightly by then President Thomas Jefferson, who felt that it would be difficult for the young America to take full possession of the territory, and thus sign the country into a future…...
mlaWork Cited
1803, and the United States. "Louisiana Purchase." Gateway New Orleans: N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. .
Jefferson, Thomas. "Treaty with France (Louisiana Purchase). 1909-14. American Historical Documents, 1000-1904. The Harvard Classics." Bartleby.com: Great Books Online -- Quotes, Poems, Novels, Classics and hundreds more. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. .
"Louisiana: European Explorations and the Louisiana Purchase - The Louisiana Purchase (American Memory from the Library of Congress)." American Memory from the Library of Congress - Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. .
"The Louisiana Purchase -- Thomas Jefferson's Monticello." Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2012. .
Therefore, for instance, the Stamp Act was justified through "granting and applying (of) certain stamp duties, and other duties, in the British colonies and plantations in America, towards further defraying the expenses of defending, protecting, and securing the same; and for amending such parts of the several acts of parliament relating to the trade and revenues of the said colonies and plantations, as direct the manner of determining and recovering the penalties and forfeitures therein mentioned"(the Stamp Act, 1765).
Taking these legislative manners into consideration, the opponents of the Loyalists considered that the issue of trade as a reason for maintaining the British rule was by no means a viable solution. More precisely, they argued that the lack of representation in the British Parliament should not allow the British to impose taxes they do not agree or vote upon. From this perspective, it can be said that the Loyalists had…...
mlaWorks Cited
Borden, Morton, and Penn Borden. The American Tory. Prentice-Hall: Englewood Cliffs, NJ. 1972.
Jenkins, P. (1997). A history of the United States. New York: Palgrave.
The New World. An ocean away...Trade in the American colonies. N.d. 5 May 2008. http://courses.wcupa.edu/wanko/LIT400/NewWorld/trade_in_the_american_colonies.htm
The Stamp Act, Great Britain: Parliament, 1765. The Avalon Project at Yale Law School. 2005. 5 May 2008 http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/amerrev/parliament/stamp_act_1765.htm
Alexander Hamilton carried on an affair with the wife of "a notorious political schemer," Maria Reynolds. Andrew Jackson married Rachel Jackson before her divorce from Lewis Robards was finalized and therefore was accused of marrying a married woman. Jackson's opponent in 1828, John Quincy Adams, was in turn accused of "corrupt bargaining" during his term. Jackson also championed Margaret O'Neill Timberlake, who married his secretary of war, John Eaton. "Peggy O'Neill" was considered a woman of "questionable virtue," and as a result Martin Van Buren became Jackson's successor in the presidency. After the death of Jackson and Eaton, Peggy married a 19-year-old dance teacher (which raised eyebrows, as she was 59), who embezzled her money and ran off to Europe with her 17-year-old granddaughter.
Other scandals concerned Richard Mentor Johnson, who ran for vice president in 1836 with Martin Van Buren. He supposedly shot Tecumseh during the ar of 1812,…...
mlaWorks Cited
Ferling, John. Adams vs. Jefferson: the tumultuous election of 1800. New York: Oxford University Press. 2004.
As a result, the 1764 Currency Act was signed. The Act forbade colonies from issuing paper currency. The colonists found it extremely difficult paying their debts and taxes.
After the Currency Act had been passed, the then British Prime Minister proposed a stamp tax that obligated colonists to purchase government issued stamps for legal documents and other paper goods. When the bill was brought before the floor of the house it sailed through. The Parliament therefore had a duty to tax the colonies. The Stamp Act did not go down well with the colonies. In fact, the Virginia House of Burgesses passed a resolution that sought to deny the British Parliament the authority to tax the British colonies. ioters visited destruction on the house of stamp distributer in Boston. There were protests all over America.
The Stamp Act acted as a common cause that united at least 13 colonies against British…...
mlaReferences
Age, M. (2010). From Revolution to Reconstruction. Retrieved September 12, 2012 from http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/E/7yearswar/fiw03.htm
Department of State Office of the Historian. (2012). Milestones 1750-1775. Retrieved September 12, 2012 from http://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/ParliamentaryTaxation
Boycotting British goods meant that American women were going to have to make sacrifices, and stop consuming goods that were imported from Britain. The cartoon of the women of Edenton, NC signing a non-consumption agreement represent American women involving themselves in the political and economic boycott of Britain by the American colonies. ("A Society of Patriotic Ladies") However, it is actually a criticism of women's involvement in political affairs by representing the women who signed as silly women engaging in silly activities. The entire cartoon is designed to give the impression that women are not able to take on political issues seriously and deal with them effectively. Instead, the women in the cartoon are engaging in sex, playing, drinking, and are generally distracted from the important issue at hand.
orks Cited
"A Society of Patriotic Ladies- North Carolina Digital History." LEARN NC. eb. 14
Oct. 2011. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-revolution/4305
2000. Print.
"Laws on Indentured Servants." Virtual…...
mlaWorks Cited
"A Society of Patriotic Ladies- North Carolina Digital History." LEARN NC. Web. 14
Oct. 2011. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-revolution/4305
2000. Print.
"Laws on Indentured Servants." Virtual Jamestown. Web. 14 Oct. 2011.
American Economic Thought in the Seventeenth Century by Edgar AJ. Johnson. (New York: Russell & Russell, 1961). 202 p., (HB119.A2J6).
This book is a global look at what motivated colonization economically in the New World, and how American thought began to diverge from English commerce and economic thought. In the book, the author outlines several common economic and political concepts of pre-Revolutionary philosophy. Mainly, Johnson states political and personal beliefs were not inevitably separate things, but rather social structures dictated by one's political ties and perceptions. In other words, during these times, the most elevated position a person could hold was that of a politician. The basic concepts of the book include that the political structure reflected fundamental social structures, and the people were still largely under the influence of parliamentary representation, and the British Crown consistently oppressed them. Unfortunately, the end of the Revolution did not help matters. In…...
In 1775, Patrick Henry gave his famous speech ("give me liberty or give me death") to lawmakers in Virginia; he urges a citizens' army to defeat the British. The first shots of the Revolutionary ar are fired after Paul Revere rode his horse through Concord and Lexington to warn colonists that the British soldiers are coming. Also in 1775, George ashington is given command of the Continental army, and John Hancock is appointed president of the Second Continental Congress. In August of 1775, King George III makes a declaration that the colonies are in open rebellion against the British.
The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, in Philadelphia, by the Continental Congress. "e hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal..." is the beginning of the declaration. Thomas Jefferson is given credit for most of the writing of the declaration, along with John Adams,…...
mlaWorks Cited
Library of Congress. "Religion and the Founding of the American Republic." Retrieved 9 Nov. 2006 at http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/religion/rel03.html .
Public Broadcast Service. "Liberty! The American Revolution / Chronicle of the Revolution."
2005). Retrieved 9 Nov. 2006 at http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/index.html .
Public Broadcast Service. "Timeline of the Revolution." Retrieved 10 Nov. 2006 at http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_timeline.html .
American Government Politics. Discussed is the fourth amendment and the current policies of searches and seizures. Four sources used. Footnotes.
Fourth Amendment
Americans hold very dear the Bill of Rights. Among the ten amendments that make up the Bill of Rights is the Fourth, one many refer to as the most ambiguous of the all the amendments. Search and seizure law is drawn from the Fourth and over the years the Supreme Court has come to view that its main purpose is the protection of a citizen's property and privacy. However, according to the conclusion of the Court, the Fourth Amendment does not "protect all property interests or apply to all situations where people might wish to protect their privacy." Perhaps, never has this amendment felt more threatened than today. The attacks on the orld Trade Center on September 11th, spurred the hite House Administration to create the office of Homeland…...
mlaWorks Cited
Civil Rights Reduced." Denver Rocky Mountain News. April 28, 2001.
McWhirter, Darien A. Search, Seizure, and Privacy: Exploring the Constitution.
Greenwood Publishing Group. October 1994.
Rosen, Jeffrey. " Liberty Wins - So Far; Bush Runs Into Checks and Balances in Demanding New Powers." The Washington Post. September 15, 2002.
American Indians struggled against the oppression of the White Man for nearly another seventy years but Chief Black Hawk's 1832 surrender speech epitomizes the frustration felt by the various tribes that once dominated the American landscape. From text of this speech, Kent State history professor, Phillip Weeks, drew the title for his book, Farewell, My Nation (Weeks, 2000). To his fellow Sac and Fox tribesmen, Chief Black Hawk stated, in part, "The white men do not scalp the head; but they do worse - they poison the heart....Farewell, my nation!"
Black Hawk's speech occurs fairly early in the process but it characterizes how the White Man broke the spirit of the American Indians as they continuously displaced the Indians from the land that they had occupied for thousands of years. In his book, Weeks chronicles how the United States government progressively enforced its policy of expansion while completely disregarding the…...
mlaReferences
Weeks, P. (2000). Farewell, My Nation: The American Indian and the United States in the Nineteenth Century (2nd Edition). Wheeling, IL: Harlan Davidson.
Farewell, My Nation
witchcraft scares in the Chesapeake colonies and no uprising like Bacon's Rebellion in New England. Consider the possible social, economic, and religious causes of both phenomena.
The colonies of New England were based on patriarchal religious social orders that were fundamentally misogynistic. The Protestant systems in New England fomented the fear of witchcraft, a parallel for a fear of feminist power. On the other hand, New England lacked the cash-crop ready system that had been emerging in the Chesapeake region. Bacon's rebellion was a labor issue related to economic power, whereas witch hunts were related to gender issues and social power.
What made Native American peoples vulnerable to conquest by European adventurers?
Native American peoples did not have the same disease resistances that Europeans had developed over several generations. They did not develop the types of sophisticated weapons using gunpowder that he Europeans had, and also, Native Americans were used to making…...
American?
In J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur's letter "hat is an American?," the author attempts to familiarize the reader with the general lifestyle and character of a settler inhabiting the British North American colonies in an effort to demonstrate the concept of a uniquely American identity, formed out of the disparate influences which informed the culture of the time and region. De Crevecoeur describes the terrain, climate, religious attitudes, and occupations found on the newly colonized continent, and in doing so he illustrates the set of conditions which had helped transform the colonies' diverse European population into a unique, new culture known as American.
According to de Crevecoeur, the essence of the American identity is its multicultural heritage, or more specifically, its diverse European background. Because of the intermarriage of many European settlers since the early days of colonization, the American "is either an European, or the descendant of an…...
mlaWorks Cited
Crevecoeur, J.H.S.J. (1904). Letters from an american farmer. New York, NY: Fox, Duffield & Company.
Whether it was the Spanish that fought to conquer lands in the south, or the Dutch that engaged in stiff competition with the British, or the French that were ultimately defeated in 1763, the American soil was one clearly marked by violent clashes between foreign powers. This is why it was considered that the cry for independence from the British was also a cry for a peaceful and secure future for the next generations. Thomas Paine argued that the time had indeed come for the colonies to be excluded from the continuous clashes that had defined their past. Thus, because of the British's traditional inclination towards war, such an objective was hard to reach under the Empire's constant control. Consequently, the time had come for the colonies to break apart and search their peace as an independent state.
Looking at the historical development of the events, it is easy to…...
mlaReferences
Aptheker, Herbert. 1960. The American Revolution, 1763-1783: a history of the American people. New York: International Publishers.
Berstein, Serge, and Milza. 1994. Pierre. Histoire de l'Europe. Paris: Hatier.
Braunstein, Florence, and Pepin, Jean Francois. 1998. Les Grandes Doctrines. Paris: Ellipses.
Carlyle, Thomas. 2004. The French revolution, New York: Kessinger Publishing, LLC. Vol. 2
To write a good thesis about this, you have to first put together what you know about early America and its approach to religion. Obviously, the American colonies were initially established, in part, as a way for people to freely practice certain religions. That said, they were extremely restrictive, with punishments for people who did not adhere to societal norms. Many undesirable behaviors were not just considered undesirable, but labeled as sin. The most dramatic example of this could be found in the witch hysteria that overtook some of the colonies and the executions and general destruction that happened surrounding....
While people often lump the American colonies together, there were significant differences between the New England colonies, Middle colonies, and Southern colonies. These differences were not only geographical, but also based in who had the grants for the colonies, their favor in the British government, and who eventually settled in the lands. These differences initially impacted how successful the American colonies were and how prosperous they would become. They eventually impacted industrialization and, in many ways, could be cited as one of the root causes of the eventual American Civil War and even some of....
Certainly! Here are some potential essay topics related to American Colonies:
1. Compare and contrast the motivations for colonization between the Spanish, French, and English settlers in the Americas.
2. Analyze the impact of European diseases on Native American populations during the colonial period.
3. Discuss the role of religion in shaping the development of the American colonies.
4. Explore the economic systems of the American colonies and their impact on the growth of the colonies.
5. Evaluate the impact of the Atlantic slave trade on the development and economy of the American colonies.
6. Examine the relationship between Native American tribes and European colonizers in....
1. The Struggle for Autonomy: The Impact of British Colonial Policies on Colonial Identity
Discuss the British policies that restricted colonial autonomy, such as the Navigation Acts and the Stamp Act.
Analyze how these policies fostered a sense of collective grievance and the desire for independence.
Examine the ways in which colonists resisted British control through boycotts, protests, and the formation of political organizations.
2. The Economic Foundations of the American Colonies: Agriculture, Trade, and Manufacturing
Describe the various agricultural practices and products that formed the backbone of the colonial economy.
Trace the development of trade networks between the colonies and....
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