Introduction
Normally the history of American sub continent begins from the colonization from Europe. In the age of geographical discoveries there was a high rate of migration from European countries including Britain. But Britain was able to exert an everlasting influence on America. It was more culturally than racially. Now the majority of Americans are not from Britain, but the Anglo-Saxon culture which came from Britain has everlasting influence on America.
Main body
Albion’s seed four British folkway in America is a historical work by David Hackett Fischer which tends to ask these questions-“Where do we come from? Who we are? Where are we going?” Fischer brought to American historiography the approach of the French school of the Annals initiated by Georges Dumezil and developed by Fernando Braudel. Moreover, he wrote a total or unified social history which checks all possibilities. The work plays the role of an encyclopaedic guide to the origins of colonial American culture. The work can be considered as the search for casualty in history. His attempt to search the colorful regional stereotypes of American history is really interesting. The New Englanders, Southern gentlemen, Quakers, and Southern highland clans come under this category.
So we can see that the foundation of American culture is based on four mass emigrations from four different regions of Britain by four different socio-cultural groups. Fischer argued that race must be considered an important factor of cultural continuity. For example, Nelson Rose points out that, “To make his point Fischer has somewhat overstated his case for the continuity of British culture in America. Certainly, the formative or constitutional period of America was overwhelmingly the work of British peoples” (Rosit) after centuries, the British culture can exert immense power on American culture.
It is evident that when racial changes occur within a society it brings about fundamental and long-lasting cultural change. From another point of view, the cultural values and institutions in America are dominated by Britain. We can see that millions of Americans are not ethically Anglo-Saxons but they are culturally Anglo-Saxons. We can feel the continuity of British culture in America. Moreover, the formative or constitutional period of America is the work of the British and we can see that many British values and institutions remain in America.
East Anglia to Massachusetts
East Anglia is in England, which is located near to a port which was famous for fishing herring fish. The connection with the sea resulted in the initiative taken by the people to settle in faraway colonies on the American mainland. At that time no one can imagine that people can reach faraway places. But adventurous seafarers and others attempted to do so and became successful in their attempts. The history of Eat Anglia says that in the tenth and eleventh century there were extensive enterprises of draining and new exploitation. Another development was that of sea fishers. Both these affected Easternmost East Anglia by the eleventh century.
The draining and exploitation of the former estuary resulted in the formation of a large mass of land available on a large scale. But this did not help East Anglia to attain economic development. But in religious belief and spirit, the people were in a high position. As earlier pointed, the business of herring fishing converted the area into an economically important area. There were churches in which three of the major churches of East Anglia established their economic bases in the land of the herring. The fourth important church, the abbey of St Benet at Holme, was situated on an island. So, in the eleventh century, it was the time of economic development in East Anglia and its surrounding places.
But the expansion of regulated monasticism in East Anglia after 1066 was dramatic. There were numerous Benedictine houses in the tenth century, but regular monasticism had only recently penetrated East Anglia. There were the cults of saints and relics, which were associated with monasteries. The East Anglian pilgrims did not restrict themselves to their region, or even to their motherland. They began to travel to faraway places to spread their religion. With the adventurers from Europe, they landed on the mainland of America. This happened at the time of mass colonization at the age of geographical discoveries. The voyage from East Anglia in England to Massachusetts in America was a tiresome one.
Massachusetts is the second colony in New England. From England, puritans who were more adventurous sought asylum in the new world, the American continent. In the severe climate, their spirit of adventure led them to the wilderness of the unknown land. Before left England, the new settlers formed a connection or partnership with other merchants and adventurers. But there were serious disputes among the colonists with Massachusetts and Rode Island, relative on the boundary. But ignoring this fact, the people were first represented in the general court in Massachusetts in 1634. Three forms of government were established in the different colonies. These were the dominated Charter, Proprietary, and Royal governments.
The first colonists of Connecticut were removed from Massachusetts. Most of the settlers came from England, and in 1633, they first planted themselves in Watertown, Dorchester, and Newton. When they heard of the extensive and rich meadows on the Connecticut River, in 1635, came to remove from Massachusetts and to settle in Connecticut.
So the voyage or the urge to find out new land in search of knowledge, wealth, adventure, expansion of colonial power, and religious interests initiated the British and other European countries to establish their colony in Massachusetts, and it was the second colony in America. The East Anglia, which was connected to the sea by a port, initiated the voyage. They were able to establish a colony in Massachusetts and the cultural impact was long-lasting. Even now, we can see that the name of some places in and near Massachusetts resemble the Anglo-Saxon culture from Britain. Now the majority of the people are not of Anglo-Saxon root but they carry the cultural traits of Anglo-Saxons.
Conclusion
Before concluding, it must be noticed that the impact of cultural colonization is long-lasting than the racial one. It is evident from the cultural impact on the people of Massachusetts by the adventurous Anglo-Saxon offsprings of East Anglia. So, it can be seen that the search for the roots of the racial origin of society will lead to the study of the impact of other races which may be positive or negative. But here it is a positive one. By exploring the cultural history of America by the work ‘Albion’s seed four British folkway in America’ David Hackett Fischer can find out convincing answers to three questions pointed out at the beginning of the essay.
Works Cited
Rose, Nelson. Review: Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in America. Institute for Historical Review, Journal of Historical Review. 1989. Web.