During the seventeenth century, Great Britain established thirteen colonies along the Atlantic coast of the North American continent. Though they were united by their connection to English society and the British government, each colony had a very different experience in the New World: the settlers who established the colonies brought with them different motivations and expectations, and the unique geographic characteristics of each colony shaped the development of those colonial societies. After more than a century of colonial rule, the ties that united the colonies to their home country frayed. In the decades following the Seven Years’ War, the colonial relationship degenerated into a series of provocations and counter-provocations over the future of North America. The Revolutionary War transformed the American colonies into the United States, and brought tremendous changes to the political and social institutions of the new country.
In this assessment, you will examine the motivations for English colonization and the organization and government of several English colonies. You will also consider the causes of the American Revolution and describe its effects on the population of the new United States.
A. Explain the reasons for English colonization (suggested length of 2–3 paragraphs) by doing the following:
1. Discuss the political motivations for English imperialism.
2. Describe the social pressures that contributed to English colonization of North America.
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
Note: You may include a short paragraph in each cell or a thorough bulleted list with significant key terms.
C. Explain the major ideas and events (i.e., Enlightenment philosophies, colonial conflicts, imperial regulations, acts of rebellion) that led to the American Revolution (suggested length of 2–3 paragraphs).
D. Describe how each of the following groups were affected by the political and/or social changes that followed the American Revolution (suggested length of 2–3 paragraphs):
• Native Americans
• African Americans
• women
E. Provide acknowledgement of source information, using in-text citations and references, for quoted, paraphrased, or summarized content.
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