1. Comparison of colonies

The American colonies were established as a result of different motivations. These colonies were either motivated by religion, economic and government. The major reasons why the colonization happened were religious freedom, seek refuge and economic opportunity. Additionally, the colonists also wanted to seek the establishment of stable and progressive government.

Pennsylvania is among the famous American colonies founded by William Penn, a Quaker, in 1681. This was established to pursue religious reasons. The colony increases religious tolerance and diversity. The PA founder asked for the land from the king which was granted.

New York (NY) is another American colony originally inhabited by the Dutch.  It was an initiative of Charles II’s brother a.k.a the Duke of York. This colony was founded for economic reasons. It was owned by proprietors who had diverse religious faith. The different faiths were orchestrated by Quaker, Puritanism, and Protestant all of whom had multiple Christian faiths. A common Christian faith was accepted in 1702 which lead to increased profits.

New Jersey was also a Dutch colony just like the New York. However, it was later controlled by the English after 1664 after the Dutch surrendered.  Initially, the colony was divided into east jersey and west jersey which later merged in1702 to form a bigger colony. It was also for religious and economic reasons.

In essence, Pennsylvanian, New York, and New Jersey were economically motivated colonies just like the Carolinas (Wright, 2012).  They were all religious because their primary focus was to increase profits. Through Christian toleration, they would populate their colony thus increasing money.

On the other hand, Massachusetts and Virginia colonies had different motivation from those of the Carolinas.  The Massachusetts colony had a great relationship with the pilgrims.  Most of the members were puritans who had a very strong Christian faith. Despite their affiliation to economic gain, the Massachusetts was motivated by religion.

Virginia was the home of the first surviving English colony, Jamestown, founded in 1606.n it named for Queen Elizabeth and was attacked in 1676 during the Bacon’s rebellion. Both the MA and VA colonies were also concerned with the government and religious motivations but were free from the economic motivations as was the case with the Carolinas. The colonies developed into pure democracy in later stages. The colonies of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York fought with the British over becoming states. Massachusetts and Virginia became states by U.S. constitution and the laws of the United States

2. Story of Anthony Johnson and racism

The story of Anthony Johnson is one of the most interesting stories as far as American colonies are concerned. Having come from the Virginia colony, he became one of the most successful tobacco farmers in a plantation. He went into this plantation as a slave where he survived death in 1622 where the Indians threatened to encroach the tobacco plantations. It is important to understand that Johnson arrived in amerce as an indentured servant in 1620. He was captured in his native country Angola and sold to merchants who took him to Virginia.

After serving for an agreed period, the indentured servant was supposed to get something in return to enable them to live on their own. This compensation could be in the form of land, food or clothing. Most of the indentured servants were willing poor people who wished to get fortunes from their service (Middleton & Lombard, 2011). Most of them were British colonies in America who was actually Irish, German, English, and Scottish with exception Africans. However, Johnson did not choose to work as an indentured servant but was forced to this agreement.

After working for fourteen years, Johnson became a land owner on the tobacco plantation. He also got a wife by the name Mary and became successful farmers. Johnson also owned his first servant by the name John Casor also from Africa. After completion of his seven years, Johnson refused to release his servant (Wright, 2012).   He later released him after pressure from the family and Casor decided to work for Robert parker.   He late won his servant back from Parker through a court directive. After this ruling, Virginia made rules allowing blacks, whites and Indians to own servants and slaves freely.

Nevertheless, the issue of racism and slavery gained roots and came to haunt Johnson in later stages. After his death in 1670, his property was not transferred to his children rather the court awarded it to a white settler. The court ruled that Johnson and his wife were blacks and not citizens of the colony. This was a major step towards the development of racism in American colonies.

3. Describe the colonies at 1750

America has a great history that includes its colonial period. These are the early periods that brought about American revolutionary war and the establishment of the constitution. The colonies and settlers came from Europe in search of religious freedom, land and other economic reasons (Middleton & Lombard, 2011). The colonies were governed by European laws that brought about anger and rebellion that brought to the creation of the United States.

The first colony in America was started by the British in 1607 and was called Jamestown in the present Virginia. It was named after King James 1. This colony was motivated to get gold in the new world for quick riches.

The pilgrims formed the second group of colonists. They were also from England, who set their base at   Plymouth the current Massachusetts.  This formed the basis for other British colonies along the Atlantic coast.

The Dutch were also not left behind and formed their settlements along the Hudson River. However, their stay was cut short since the English settlers drove them away. One of the most significant occurrences during this period is the conflict between the French and English colonies in18th century (Middleton & Lombard, 2011).

By 1750, there were 13 English colonies in North America and were divided into here groups;

• The New England Colonies: Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire
• The Middle Colonies: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey
• The Southern Colonies: Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia

Great awakening is among the historic events associated with the American colonies. This was a spiritual renewal that swept American colonies during the 18th century. It was fueled by the existence of the Church of England whereby other religions such as Catholics, Puritanism, and Judaism were suppressed. After the spiritual renewal, it was deemed as a great preparation for the war of independence that was imminent in America (Kidd, n.p.). Through the Awakening, the Colonists realized that religious power resided in their own hands, rather than in the hands of the Church of England or any other religious authority. It was an important step towards enabling the American Revolution.

References

Kidd, T. (n.d.). The Great Awakening: The roots of evangelical Christianity in colonial America.

Middleton, R., & Lombard, A. (2011). Colonial America a History to 1763. (4th ed.). Hoboken: Wiley.

Wright, L. (2012). Cultural Life of the American Colonies. Dover Publications.

 
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