Premium Essay

American Colonists: English or American

In:

Submitted By smiles75
Words 270
Pages 2
American Colonists: English or American?
A Look Into American Life Before And After The French-Indian War During the time leading up to the French and Indian War, American colonists were decidedly more English in their lifestyle than they were American. Having recently emigrated from England, the peoples were still very culturally influenced by their “home” country. The colonists still practiced many of the same traditions and religions as they did before.
The colonies, all except one, were planted, supported, and established by English companies. The majority of the people sent over were from England so they were doing what they knew already.
Although the colonies were across the Atlantic Ocean from England, the British government was still in control over the colonies. At this time the Americans did not seem to mind this, as they had always followed and been under British rule. England was also believed to be “invincible” so why would the Americans try to break away from the largest empire to become a small, weak country?
Before the French and Indian War there was no reason to break away from Britain, everything seemed to working out fine. For the most part, colonists lived as they would in England because that is how they lived before and since it continued to work there was no need for change.
Lastly, the term “American” was not defined yet considering America was not fully established, was not its own country, and most of the people living there lived as they would in England. Even though these people were not “English”, they were also not “American” yet. They were

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Seven Years War

...The Seven Years’ War was also called the French and Indian War. It was a war fought by the French and the English over who would control the North American continent and India. At the beginning of the war the French had the best advantage because they had most of the Native Americans as their allies and they a chain of forts strategically located throughout the frontier. All the English had going for them was that they had a bigger population of people than the French had. The English knew that they had to solve two big problems if they were to win the war against the French. The first of these problems was that they had to regain the trust of the Iroquois Indians. The other problem was with the colonies themselves and the way they supported the English. To help with these problems, English leaders put together a colonial conference in Albany, New York in June 1754. Among all the people at the conference there was a man there by the name of William Johnson. He was married to a Mohawk woman and with her help they were able to communicate with the Iroquois and tried to gain their support. The Iroquois didn’t help the English until later on in the war when they knew the English were going to be the victors. To help with colonial support, a group of people got together and put together a proposal known as the Albany Plan of Union. The plan called for a council to represent all of the colonies and one person to preside over it who is appointed by the king. The war would...

Words: 1093 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Why Was Jamestown Founded

...the discovery, the English tried to establish colonies in North America. Why wasn’t Jamestown founded until 1607. There are three reasons why Jamestown wasn’t founded for 115 years . First, England were at war with Spain and France, the English didn’t have a good relationship with the Native Americans, and the earlier English colonies didn’t do so well. During the 115-year span, England was at war with Spain and France. England was a Protestant country and Spain was a Catholic country. That led to conflict between the two countries because Spain wanted to make England Catholic. In addition to religious differences, war broke out starting with Sir Francis Drake stealing lots of money and ships from Spain from 1577 to 1580. This made King Philip II very mad causing him to build an army. This army, the Spanish Armada, who were sent out in 1588 to destroy England. However, the Spanish lost quickly. England and France fought wars between them in each other during this time. These wars were called the Anglo-French wars. In all, there were...

Words: 596 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

English Colonies Dbq

...West Indies, Canada and the trade in the English colonies.The Native Americans were being driven away because the English needed more land for plantations and ports. King William’s War, was provoked because the English were expanding rapidly and the Natives were being pushed out and weren't strong enough to fight against the Europeans because they lacked the weapon technology and they also had suffered a demographic change due to illness. The Natives who were supplied by the French, burned down English settlements. The English corresponded with what is called Queen Anne’s War, winning Nova Scotia and trading rights in Spanish America. The third and last war was King George’s War when they beat France, obtaining Louisburg, then exchanging it for economic gains in India, which made the Colonist furious. After the French-Indian war, the relationship between English and the Colonist shifted because of the enforced taxation and...

Words: 945 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Native American Thesis

...Relations between Indians and English Colonists were anything but docile. Neither side was solely at fault. Both the Indians and the colonists held a violent nature with one another. The tensions started to boil increasingly as settlers encroached more and more onto claimed Indian lands. The actions taken by both sides shaped the relationships in a negative way. Some tribes and settlers formed alliances between small tribes and towns; however, the majority of the relationships were murderous. Prior to the French and Indian war, hundreds and hundreds of innocent American Indians were killed, among them women and children. Each region, New England, Chesapeake, Spanish Southwest, New France and New York proved to deal with different issues than a neighboring region. The settlers were not the only violent offenders. American Indians attempted to hold their ground, and a number of tribes even attacked English Colonists. Not only was there violence but many other factors contributed, including religion. Actions committed by both sides shaped the relations in different ways for different regions. New England relations with American Indians Initially, the relations between colonists in New England and the coastal Indians were friendly. The Indians offered a helping hand to the colonists. As the Englishmen were developing their colonies, the Indians helped shape the economy. Settlers were eager to move off the coast and more inland. When the settlers pushed farther and farther inland...

Words: 1784 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Differences Between English Settlers And Native Americans

...Before the arrival of the Europeans, The Natives lived in harmony with nature and each other in peaceful communities. When the English explorers arrived, they had different intentions and values than the Native Americans. Their differences, motives and values lead to many clashes as the decades passed by. The Native Americans at first humbly welcomed the English explorers up until the seventeenth century. Little did they the Natives know, their welcoming would become their undoing. During around the fifteenth century, the English explorers arrived on the northeastern shores of America and were welcomed by the Native American tribes into their villages. Both parties saw this as a good opportunity to trade and exchange goods. The Natives generously provided the English explorers with resources, supplies and skills to use to...

Words: 734 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Histroy Timeline

...explain why you changed your mind. Anticipation Reaction _____ 1. _____ 1. _____ 2. _____ 3. _____ 4. _____ 5. _____ 6. _____ 7. The British government usually left American colonists to make their own laws pertaining to local matters. American colonial trade was severely crippled by British trade laws. The European Enlightenment had little influence on the thought of American colonists. Because they were part of the British empire, colonists were constantly involved in England’s imperial wars with France and Spain. Parliament taxed the American colonists as a way to express its authority over them, not because it needed. the money. Colonists protested the Sugar Act and Stamp Act as violations of their rights as Americans. Colonists protested the Tea Act because it threatened to raise the price of tea. _____ 2. _____ 3. _____ 4. _____ 5. _____ 6. _____ 7. LEARNING OBJECTIVES After reading Chapter 3 you should be able to: 1. 2. Define the basic assumptions of the British colonial system and describe its operation. Assess the impact of the Great Awakening and Enlightenment on the spiritual and intellectual life of the colonies. 42 3. 4. 5. Describe the relationship between the French and Indian War and the coming of the American Revolution. Trace the course of key events...

Words: 4419 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

1763 To 1776

...disagreement between the American colonists and the British policymakers that developed during the period 1763 to 1776? “That these are the acts of power assumed by a body of men foreign to our constitutions, and unacknowledged by our laws; against which we do, on behalf of the inhabitants of British America, enter this our solemn and determined protest” (Jefferson). In the years leading up to the American Revolution it was perhaps the case that the paper, not the pen, was mightier than the sword. In affirmation of the law of unintended consequences, the English imposed Stamp Act, which did what the colonists could not do for themselves: It united them. The new peace in Europe caused a fundamental shift in the...

Words: 1254 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

How Did The Virginia Colonies Influence The American Revolution

...Influence Towards an American Revolution The colonies road towards revolting and seeking independence from their motherland England took time, yet was inevitable. Only when the colonies were sure in their ability to survive without the grip of England could they view the British Empire as a nuisance and seek their independence. The Virginia colonies uproar by the King's violations of their charter, their ability in successfully governing themselves, and creating the modern plantation system which would help ensure economic confidence were the Virginia colonies influence in showing they could survive without the rule of England, catalyzing their fight for independence. In the year 1606, a joint-stock company called the Virginia Company was granted a charter by the King granting them a...

Words: 1713 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

American Revolution Dbq

...happened between the colonists and Great Britain. As the colonists grew, to what Britain considered to be out of control, Parliament tried to limit the colonists by placing taxes and laws on them. The pressure that these laws put on the colonists drove the nail even further between the two. The political and economic events that led up to the American Revolution caused the start of the war because...

Words: 1211 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Compare And Contrast The Colonial Period And The Fight For Independence

...had passed, meaning settlers established 13 colonies across the eastern seaboard and prospered as farmers, shipbuilders, and merchants. But they were not free, and were bound by British rule on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. For more than one and a half centuries, colonists fought for and perpetuated a system for self governance, but outside forces kept threatening their way of life and liberty. Throughout the Colonial era, settlers of the New World fought against British governing rule and desired self-government. However,...

Words: 2284 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Middle Colonies Research Paper

...Jamestown, Virginia. When the English men had came to North America, they did not have enough money or supplies for survival. Most of the men were criminals or poor. The Colonists needed a cheaper way of having servants to work for them every day. Although the colonists first intention was to bring slaves to the colonies to assist in the making of tobacco, the slaves ended up aiding in the development of the nation, and changing the colonists views on slavery. In the early 1600’s, the English Colonists had begun growing their own crops because they did not have enough resources for food. However, they ran into an issue when they realized they did not have enough colonists to grow crops and cotton in the fields. The English men decided to bring African American slaves to “[work] mainly on the tobacco, rice and indigo plantations of the southern coast.” (History.com)....

Words: 693 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

French and Indian War

...all began when the British government sent troops in to defend the colonists. Many problems arose when the colonist became enraged with imposed taxes and their unrepresented position in parliament. The results of the war were long lasting later leading to the start of the Revolutionary War. The French and Indian War had great economic, political and ideological effects on the American colonies. The political results of the war had many long lasting effects on Britain and the American colonies. English debt lead to unfair taxation of the colonists. After 1763, English colonies began to control the new world. This had a major impact on the political relationship between Britain and the American colonists as it lead to the Proclamation of 1763. Britain's abandonment of their salutary neglect policy created huge political conflict. After the French and Indian War, England found themselves deep in debt. As a result of their debt, they began to strictly regulate trade, and impose taxes on commonly used items. Angered colonists felt this was unjust taxation. Sudden taxation and regulation began to affect the economic relationship between the colonists and the British Mainland. Prior to the French and Indian War, the Wool, Hat, and Iron Acts forced the Americans to ship their raw the material to Britain, only to later buy the finished products from them. Heavy British taxation soon caused the colonists to abandoned mercantilism and fight back. The Stamp Act required...

Words: 507 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

American Colonies Dbq Analysis

...The rights of the colonists remained relatively unchanged between the years before and after the war. Across the Atlantic Ocean, John Locke, a prominent philosopher, asserted “that all people have natural rights and that if a monarchy violates those rights, then the people have the right to overthrow the monarch” (Document 4). The American Founding Fathers heavily drew on this idea that a monarchy should respect the rights of its citizens. When the colonists felt misrepresented by the English Monarchy, they internalized the words of Locke and sought to restore their natural rights that had been present under salutary neglect. In the American Colonies, they established ideals of what rights and liberties all citizens deserved for many years...

Words: 327 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Seven Years War

...the colonists predicted the French and Indian war in the early 1750’s. Although Great Britain was still in control of the colonies, they provided very little help and support. This eventually worsened matters, especially when many colonists were constantly fighting off Indian tribes who were in alliance with the French. In fact, nearly every Indian tribe had ties to the France, excluding the Iroquois tribe due to the fear imposed by the British (History, 2014). As previously stated, the Seven Years War officially began in 1756 when France and England, for the first time, engaged in full-blown warfare. What made this war so significant were the alliances formed, which included England and Prussia, and France and Austria, countries who would have never joined forces in the past (Brinkley, 2012). In 1957, one year after the war began, England was struggling and defeat became quite common for the country. As a result, William Pitt was appointed to fix the problems England was facing in the war. Almost immediately, Pitt announced that the war in America was completely under British rule. Because the casualty count was so high, he decided to engage in impressment meaning that the colonists were basically forced to join the British army. Furthermore, the colonists were obligated by law to supply, feed, and provide shelter to British soldiers. Because so many Americans were fed up with England and their lack of support at the beginning of the war, hundreds of thousands of colonists began...

Words: 899 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Events Responsible For Changing Life In The Mid-1700's

...different events responsible for changing the life in colonial America. One of the events that changed the life in America is the Navigation Acts. The Navigation Acts were laws that were created by England. They made these laws because England knew that America had a lot of good materials that they could use. So, to ensure that only they benefited from trading with the colonists they made the Navigation Acts. Some of the laws that these acts stated were that the colonists had to use a certain ship and they were not allowed to use any foreign ships. another law is that the colonists weren’t allowed to export goods like sugar and tobacco outside of England’s Empire....

Words: 606 - Pages: 3