The history of early European conquest of the Americas began with the Portuguese and Spanish, propelled by the search for African gold and a direct sea route to the Indian Ocean. European contact greatly impacted the Native American populations that existed prior to their subsequent conquest. In our examination of Native American populations before and after European contact, it is important to pay close attention to justifications for conquest, the economy, forms of labor, and European relations with Native Americans. These relations differed greatly between the Spanish and British. Reasons for British interest in North America are very different, and therefore have different outcomes. The unique history of England due to the Magna Carta, religious friction, and Civil War caused freedom to be ingrained in the settlement of North America.
The Chesapeake and New England colonies developed with issues of religion and freedom as common themes. The Puritan distinction between moral liberty and religious freedom is demonstrated clearly as the colonies move from indentured servitude to slave labor.
The colonial crisis happening in North America resulted in the expansion of liberty. There were various North American colonies being established and grown by the Dutch and French in addition to the British. The French empire is staunchly different from British America, particularly in its relationships with the Native Americans. The growth of the English empire is due to mercantilism, slavery, and the establishment of colonies in New York, Carolina, and Pennsylvania. A series of local conflicts caused a colonial crisis after which colonists began to believe that they were entitled to certain liberties.
The series of events leading up to the American Revolution are as important as the revolution itself. The dramatic events against the lieutenant governor of Massachusetts, Thomas Hutchinson, by an angry mob in response to the Stamp Act, followed by a crisis against British rule which grew from taxation policies, along with the consequences of the Seven Years' War and the British Crown's need for increased revenue from its colonies create the background for the American Revolution. The colonists reacted with indignation believing the oppressive taxation was a direct infringement upon their liberty. When small fighting broke out in 1775, independence was not a clear goal of the Continental Congress. Thomas Paine's Common Sense along with other Enlightenment theories was crucial in educating the common people about their natural right to freedom and liberties that Britain denied. The Declaration of Independence forever changed the meaning of American freedom by proclaiming "unalienable rights," rights that no government could ever take away.
Instructions: Read Chapters 1-8. Please choose and answer 3 of the following questions (in 1 essay) and submit the answers through TURNITIN. This essay must be at least 500 words and use at least 3 citations. Since this is an on-line course, credible internet sources are acceptable. You must cite all sources used in a short bibliography at the end of your essay.
Question 1.Compare spanish america and british america. discuss reasons for settlement, attitudes toward native american, forms of labor, major economies, the role of religion, and the systems of government. How was freedom defined inthe spanish colonies? How was it defined in the british colonies?what liberties were extended and to whom? Did this justify europeans to clain possiession of lands that belonged to someone else?
question 2. many degrees of freedom co-existed in 17 th century north america. Discuss the various definitions of freedom. Be sure to include enslaved persons, indentured servants, women Native Americans, property owners, and puritans. Explain any similarities and differences among these different vesions of freedom.
question 3. How did the colonists justify their protests and ultimate rebellion? What sources did they call upon? What philosophies ere influential? How was the language of freedome and liberty used?