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What role were the American colonies supposed to play in the 17th century (the 1600s) English New World Empire? To what extent did they fulfill this role?
The American colonies were said to have played a very important role in the establishment and the development of the English, new world empire in the 17th century. The colonies are argued to have made the English empire to more stable in terms of economic, military and political progress. The progressive conflict between the colonies led the emergency of the English empire as the prolific a commanding beneficiary of the American continent (Amussen 21).[1] Historians have suggested that the American colonies led to the opening up of the continent that made it easier for the English empire to take over the resources that highly benefited the empires rather than the colonies.
The military power was one of the English empire’s sources of strength against the rest of the European empires. The statement can be argued as correct by following the defeat of the Dutch in the New York, New Jersey and the Pennsylvania territories(Breedon 2).[2] The Dutch was the founder of these territories at the beginning of the 1630s. The Colony defeated the natives and ruled the region(Ormrod 39)[3] Although the Dutch authority was established in these territories, they did not take enough precaution to protect what they already had. During the reign of Charles II, John Cabot led his army to the war that led to the possession of the territory in 1497. The fight to possess the land from the Dutch ended in 1664. By that time, the Dutch forces were weak, and the English soldiers had a little task in defeating the former colony. Concerning this progress, it can be deduced that the English soldiers were stronger and efficient roll out their duties than their Dutch compatriots.
The difference in interest was another reason that made some colonies weak that the English empire, thereby, making the empire takes over what was not theirs. The French, Spain and the Dutch were among the early explorers of the Northern America. The region stretched all the way to the west of Canada. Among the explorers was Giovanni da Verrazano, who was sent by the French king, Francis in the 1520s (Millett 63).[4] The exploration included the spread of the Christianity to the natives living in the land. Therefore, the exploration led to the opening up of the region for the colonies. When the French settled in the territory, they created a conducive environment for other colonial powers to come and work together with them. One of the colonies that came into the play was the English Colony. The English was also involved in transforming the region in the same way as their predecessors. Thereafter, a conflict emerged over the management of the resources in the region (Parker, 2).[5] The Spanish silver in Peru and Mexico became the center of conflict between the two colonial powers. The two powers had agreed that there will be a certain percentage of the profit that will be re-invested back to the mines. However, only French honored the agreement as King of England used the wealth in stabilizing the sectors of his kingdom (Mooney 47).[6] When the French king realized that the English empire was playing games on the agreement, he decided to chase away their partners I the form of military attack. However, little did he know that English empire was well prepared for the war. The English empire had used the resources in equipping the army in special condition than the French counterpart (Prince 105).[7] They, therefore, dealt with the French army and took over the silver mines. The mines brought the English empire a great wealth on the faces of the rest of the Europe’s powerful kingdoms.
The American colonies played a big role in the growth of trade in the English Kingdom. Most of the colonies that were opened up became strategic points for the growth and the development of agriculture. The sector was made easier by the fact that there was a ready market for the products in England. Cheap labor was also available that ensured that the fields were easily and efficiently cultivated at a cheaper cost (Morgan, 3).[8] At this point, industrialization was taking place in England and the development was, therefore, vital. The finished products were also made available in the colonies in America (Parliament of Engaland 2).[9] To fully engage the colonies, the English emperor decided to establish some acts that would lead to the formation and protection of plantation areas in the north of America. The different colonies established the Act in their various houses, and the English emperor became assured of the flow of the raw materials (Mooney 52).[10] The textile industry was highly boosted by the Act as cotton and sisal were the most grown products in the plantations. However, the American colonies became agitated as the plantations were mainly held by the British tycoons and not the Americans. Hence, a sense of revolution would emerge as the natives wanted to be part of the business and establish their economy.
The colonies of America did not do everything that supported the development of the English emperor’s economy. Some of the measures that were taken negatively influenced their economy as a way leading to its development was cut off. One of the examples was the nullification of the slave trade. The British plantations in the American colonies heavily depended on the availability of cheaper labor (Smith 67).[11] The labor was easily gotten from the African continent at the era where slaves were traded at the market price. The slaves could not demand a pay as they were relied upon as a machine. They could be forced to work for a long time with only a little food. Hence, their labor meant more profit to the owners. No longer had the British field owners had accumulated a lot of benefits from the slaves that the slaves had started to demand their rights (Randoph 3).[12] Some of the colonies decided that they will give their support to the black slaves. The action led to a series of misunderstanding and conflicts that made it difficult for the British to continue enjoying the benefits of the plantation (Mooney 45).[13] The colonies, also, were demanding the right to own the plantations. The English empire decided to make friendship with some of the colonies. Hence, a division of the colonies emerged. When this happened, crises well known as the American civil war ensued (Wilson 125).[14] The crisis had a bad attribute to the English industries and the economy at large. The source of the raw materials for the textile industries declined, leading to declining commodities for the market. In this way, the colonies contributed to the decline in the growth of the English emperor.
Works Cited
Amussen, Susan Dwyer. Caribbean Exchanges Slavery and the Transformation of English Society, 1640-1700. Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina, 2007. Print.
Breedon, Thomas. “Narrative and Deposition to His Majesty's Council for Foreign Plantations” (11 March 1661).
Millett, Stephen M. The Scottish Settlers of America the 17th and 18th Centuries. Baltimore: Clearfield :, 1998. Print.
Morgan, Kenneth. “Symbiosis: Trade and the British Empire”
Ormrod, David. The Rise of Commercial Empires : England and the Netherlands in the Age of Mercantilism, 1650-1770. Cambridge [etc.: Cambridge UP, 2004. Print.
Parker, Matthew. "The Navigation Act"
Parliament of England, “The Navigation Act” (1660).
Prince, Tracy J. Culture Wars in British Literature: Multiculturalism and National Identity. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2012. Print.
Randolph, Edward. “An Answer to Several Heads of Enquiry Concerning the Present state of New England” (12 October 1676).
Smith, John. Administering Empire: The British Colonial Service in Retrospect. London: U of London, 1999. Print.
Wilson, Kathleen. A New Imperial History: Culture, Identity, and Modernity in Britain and the Empire, 1660-1840. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2004. Print.
[1] Amussen, Susan Dwyer. Caribbean Exchanges Slavery and the Transformation of English Society, 1640-1700. Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina, 2007. Print. 21.
[2] Breedon, Thomas. “Narrative and Deposition to His Majesty's Council for Foreign Plantations” (11 March 1661), 2.
[3] Ormrod, David. The Rise of Commercial Empires : England and the Netherlands in the Age of Mercantilism, 1650-1770. Cambridge [etc.: Cambridge UP, 2004. Print. 39.
[4] Millett, Stephen M. The Scottish Settlers of America the 17th and 18th Centuries. Baltimore: Clearfield :, 1998. Print. 63.
[5] Parker, Matthew. "The Navigation Act", 2.
[6] Mooney, 47.
[7] Prince, Tracy J. Culture Wars in British Literature: Multiculturalism and National Identity. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2012. Print. 105
[9] Parliament of England, “The Navigation Act” (1660), 2
[10] Mooney, 52.
[11] Smith, John. Administering Empire: The British Colonial Service in Retrospect. London: U of London, 1999. Print. 67
[12] Randolph, Edward. “An Answer to Several Heads of Enquiry Concerning the Present state of New England” (12 October 1676), 3.
[13] Mooney, 45.
[14] Wilson, Kathleen. A New Imperial History: Culture, Identity, and Modernity in Britain and the Empire, 1660-1840. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2004. Print. 125
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