American Political and Economic Life, Essay Example

As American political and economic life evolved in the 18th century, certain aspects were clearly different between the ways American’s understood their place and role within the English Empire, and how the English Parliament and King understood the colonies place and role within the English Empire. These differences took the colonies down the road to Independence.

When the colonies first sought their independence it was a move spurred by the concepts of religious and political freedom. Great Britain was going through a Reformation of the Catholic Church, thanks in part to the dissent of many influential leaders that felt the papacy was having too much control over the people. Before the Thirteen Colonies broke away from the British Empire to form their independent nation, they were first established for three key factors that included, government, religion, and economics. The English that sought refuge in being able to follow their own religion, were split into several denominations that include, Presbyterian, Quaker, Baptist, Anglican, Lutheran, Congregational, Mennonite, Catholic, Jewish, and others. (Unger, 2011, pg. 54) Thanks to the Enlightenment Period, they colonies were free thinkers, and were less concern at the time of persecuting others that did not believe in the same religious beliefs. Across the pond in England, there were fighting wars in order to force people to believe in Catholicism, and the wars were tearing Britain and other countries apart. However, although the colonies were formed to seek refuge from religious persecution, they were to a much lesser degree seeking an opportunity to establish a progressive, and stable government away from British control.

Through their course of establishment, they were getting more and more fed up of British Control, rules, laws, and most of all British taxes.  The local economy was a capitalist society that was based on industry built on running plantations that supplied tobacco and cotton crops. (History, n.d) While many colonies were founded on religious motivation, others were established motivated by business ventures. Charter companies that were composed of wealthy landowners and merchants that were part a group of stockholders. There were the driving force behind the success of the Thirteen Colonies that sought out personal economic gain, and the advancement of the British national goals. The companies within the colonies were financed by the private sector, as the King had the power to grant each charter with money that confer their political and economic rights, as well judicial power.(Henrietta, Brody, 2009) When the colonies were not turning profits at the beginning the stockholders turned over power to the settlers.  The settlers begin to construct the rudiments of their own nation. The earlier economic opportunities were trapping, trading furs, and fishing. People were becoming self-sufficient as many had their own farms and livestock.  Colonies began to establish sawmills, gristmills, building fishing fleets, and trading vessels. At the time of British rule over the colonies, the colonies were rivaling the output in the international markets by popularity and quality. They were trading general crops, furs, rice, tobacco, and indigo. (US Department of State, nd) The British Empire was getting greedy due to the economic and social prosperity of the colonies, and began to increase the taxes across the colonies. Despite the economic prosperity that the colonies saw, they felt they would be more prosperous with the hand of Parliament in their businesses. The Parliament was controlling trades, manufactures, and inner colony and international trades with Europe.

The colonies were starting to feel that they did not need the authority nor the presence of the British Empire, as they were emerging as their own self-sustaining government. The disputes of British taxation, as well as other pertinent factors were coming to ahead. Unger writes that a political leader Thomas Jefferson, “believed that Britain’s “deliberate, systematical plan of reducing us to slavery” had spurred Americans to take the drastic step of declaring their freedom.” (Unger, 2011, pg. 65) Many were alarmed that the British Empire had threatened to send Anglican Bishops to undermine their religious freedom, while also placing economic strains on their imperial relationships. Parliament was levying several laws that put considerable strains on the economic development of the colonies. Parliament felt the colonies were there for their economic and social advancement, while the colonies were wanting to set up their own independent nation. The Parliament was limiting the manufactures from trading to preserve them for British producers, placing many embargoes and restrictions to other parts of Europe, and in other colonies. Frictions were beginning to appear in the colonial towns against the British troops and in the battles as they were fighting against the French. (Unger, 2011, pg. 79) As tension increased, Parliament was subsequently passing legislation to limit and prohibit American colonies mobilization, and the boycotts of the British were affecting their profits. The tensions led to many radical movements from the colonies as they boycotted the taxes by refusing by British goods and trade with the establishment of the First Continental Congress. This forced the Parliament to rescind all their acts, but the colonist were already forming their separate political body and Congress to represent the American interest by challenging the authority of Britain.

The formation of the Second Continental Congress formed a Continental Army to fight the British, and named George Washington as the commander. King George refused the Olive Branch Petition, and this sparked the colonies to form patriotic groups that were active in beginning the American Revolution. The colonies feeling they were independent of the British rule, begin to create their own laws, and ways of American life. The road to independence was dependent on the colonist want to social and economic advancement without the control of the British Government. The British saw the colonies as a way to increase the British Empire, and their personal wealth. After eight intense years of contentious battles, thousands of lives lost, and some land destroyed, the Americans received their independence from Britain.

References

Henrietta, James, Brody, David. (2009). America: A Concise History, 4th edition. Bedford/St. Martin.

History. (n.d). The 13 Colonies. History. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/thirteen-colonies

Unger, Irwin. (2011). These United States: The Questions of Our Past, Concise Edition VOL l. Prentice Hall.

U.S Department of State. (n.d). Colonization of the United States. About. Retrieved from http://economics.about.com/od/useconomichistory/a/colonization.htm