At the same time the new European economic lifestyle was sweeping the continent, it was also undergoing various religious movements. The beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church were challenged, by the Protestant Reformation. “King Henry VIII broke ties with the Catholic Church, and marked himself as the leader of the Christian faith in England.” (Brinkley, 2007) The country of England restored it’s allegiance to Rome, and then severed itself again, eventually settling with England’s new official religion, The Church of England. Because of this religious separation of the Catholics of Rome and the formation of the Puritans, many Europeans sought out the New World. The New World offered the comforts many needed of religious freedom.
The first place to be colonized in the New World was modern day Virginia. “The London Company established Jamestown in 1607.” (Brinkley, 2007) They left England is search of wealth, but found anything but profit, and endured many tribulations, from conflict with the Native Americans over territory, harsh winters, and lack of food. In its early years, the company survived by making friends with a local tribe. They traded arms and products made from metal, a material that the Native Americans did not have yet, for food and other items needed for survival. Tobacco was found to grow extremely well in the area, and kept the Virginia Company afloat, but still not profitable. The Virginia Company sought out a way to draw more people to the colony and adopted the headright system. “Headrights were fifty-acre grants of land, which new settlers could acquire in various ways. The company also brought skilled tradesman to Virginia as an added incentive.” (Brinkley, 2007) However conflict with the Native Americans over time forced the Virginia Company near bankruptcy. “In 1624, James I revoked the now defunct Virginia Company’s charter, and the colony came under the control of the crown, where it remained until 1776.” (Brinkley, 2007) Under the crown Virginia managed to survive and expand. The survival has been attributed to the adaptation of the English settlers to the Native Americans agricultural traditions.
Maryland was originally colonized on the basis of religious freedom, unlike Virginia whose motive was money. “Lord Baltimore and 200 to 300 other passengers founded St. Mary’s in 1634, sailing across the Atlantic on the Ark and the Dove.” (Brinkley, 2007) The Marlyanders found friends in the local Indian tribes, and were provided with all the necessary comforts to establish their colony without trouble. The colony adopted the headright system as a means to draw more patrons to the colony. They, just like Virginia, also found profit in tobacco cultivation, and structured their economy around such, using indentured servants from England, and then slaves from Africa to work their land.
Due to hardships imposed by King Charles I, with respect to religion and the disbanding of the English Parliament, the country found itself on the verge of a civil war. A group of Puritan merchants, whose religious preference were unknown to the King, founded the Massachusetts Bay Company, and set sail for the New World, to establish their own utopia. Their original agenda was economic, but other members of the company had a different idea in mind. The Puritan structured company sought to bring their fellow followers to the New World, and create a safe haven for them to worship. “In 1630, 1,000 Puritans comprised of mostly families, left England for Massachusetts Bay. Their leader, John Winthrop, carried with him the charter of the Massachusetts Bay Company, which meant the colonists would be responsible only to themselves.” (Brinkley, 2007) The Massachusetts Puritans devoted their life and work in servitude to God and Jesus Christ. They looked at themselves as role models for the rest of the world to follow. The Massachusetts Bay colony did however face early turmoil, but unlike Virginia, had a strong religious and political hierarchy to ensure their continued growth and development.
Throughout the establishment of the colonies in the New World there was much conflict between the Native Americans and the English settlers. In early Jamestown there was conflict between Powhatan’s Indians and the European settlers because of the refusal to trade the Native American arms. “In the 1670’s, the English had tried to impose their law upon the Natives, and even hung several members of a tribe for killing a member of their own tribe; an affair that was totally unrelated to the English colony.” (Brinkley, 2007) However, the overwhelming conflict between the Indians and the English settlers of both Virginia and Massachusetts Bay was over territory. The primary product the Virginia Company was producing was tobacco. The problem with producing tobacco is after a few years the fields in which it is grown become unusable. This meant the Virginians had to move further inland and encroach upon the Natives territory. The Massachusetts Bay Company, who had overhunted their area, began importing range animals and needed more land to raise them on. They also began slowly taking over the Native American’s territory to fulfill their needs. By the end of both colonies early creation they believed the Indians to be savages and eventually heathens.
In conclusion, the New World was finally taking shape and becoming the great place it is today. There is much resemblance in the early colonies and the United States, whether it is in the religious freedoms we have today or the great economic growth we also relish in. The early colonies faced many problems, but eventually overcame them and turned out to become prosperous. The early settlers created the great nation we have today.
Bibliography
Brinkley, A. (2007). American History: A Survey. New York: McGraw-Hill.
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