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
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.
1. Include the following information when providing source references:
• author
• date
• title
• location of information (e.g., publisher, journal, or website URL)
Sample Solution
English colonization and the motivations therein is one of the most studied areas in history. Historical literature provides various reasons for the expansion of British authority into distant lands. The first is political reasons which capture the British’s avid desire for conquest, rights, and exercise of power in new geographical areas. Political reasons earned the support of the British aristocracy who encouraged the development of colonies as new sources of wealth and power. They granted charters to groups of businessmen, like the Virginia Company, who offered to help colonists settle in the “New World.” Economic – Concerns money and wealth.
