Task 1: English Colonization and the Road to Revolution
WGU
Survey of United States History C121
A. Explain the reasons for English colonization by doing the following:
Discuss the political motivations for English imperialism.
Describe the social pressures that contributed to English colonization of North
America.
When the New World was discovered, it was by somewhat of an accident. A few of
the European countries were trying to locate a route to China in hopes of benefitting from
the Ming Dynastys success as a major influence and powerhouse in the trade industry.
The Spaniards were the first to find Central and South America and the riches of gold
and silver that it possessed. Because of this success, those riches that were being sent
back to Spain enabled them to increase their armies and made them the richest country in
the world.
In the history of our World, possessing powerful armies typically indicates that you
also are a political giant. Seeing Spain rising to the top made England take notice and
they decided to travel across the Atlantic in hopes of either finding a route to China, or to
find natural resources that they could get rich off of themselves.
Because political power plays a major contributor to many other aspects of control,
the English deemed it necessary to get involved in this race for national imperialism and
sent many colonists to the New World to stake a claim for their country. It wasnt an
immediate success, but soon found that they could benefit greatly from growing and
exporting tobacco crops. This led to the expansion of the English rule across the globe
which eventually became the most expansive in the world.
B. Describe the economic systems (e.g., labor relationships, trade networks, major cash
crops), social characteristics (e.g., religious beliefs, family structures, cultural practices,
class systems), and political systems (e.g., types of representation, major governmental
bodies, significant political figures) of the following colonies using the attached English
Colonies in America Table, or similar document:
Massachusetts Bay
Virginia
The Carolinas
Economic
Systems
Social
Characteristics
Political
Systems
Massachusetts
Bay
The Massachusetts
Bay colony was
primarily funded by
trade and export of
shipbuilding, fishing,
fur and the lumber
trades. The majority
of this colonys
products were sold
or traded with
England and the
West Indies
The population of this
colony was made up
mostly of Puritans and the
government was
dominated by a small
group of leaders who
were mostly influenced
by the Puritan teachings.
Intolerance of other
religions like Anglican,
Quaker and Baptist were
a major part of this
colony.
This colony was the
first to legalize
slavery. Matthew
Cradock was the first
Governor of this
colony. Thomas
Gardner was the
overseer of the
Dorchester Company.
Edward Winslow and
William Bradford were
two very influent...
