English Colonization
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
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.
1. Include the following information when providing source references:
• author
• date
• title
• location of information (e.g., publish
Sample Solution
English colonization is chiefly attributed to inspiration from British aristocrat. Extant data reveals that British monarchs encouraged the development of colonies as new sources of wealth and power (Lester & Dussart, 2014; Magness & Page, 2011). They offered charters to groups of businessmen, like the Virginia Company, who offered to help colonists settle in the “New World.” Political motives were often triggered as responses to perceived threats to the security or prestige of the imperial power or its citizens abroad. Religious: During imperial expansion, religious people sometimes set out to convert new members of their religion and, thus, their empire.
