Colonization of the American continent began with European explorers in the region. Spain and Portugal were two European nations to establish colonies in the American continent in the 16th Century. Portugal established its colonial territory in Brazil while Spain colonized the expansive South American region. Later in the 17th Century, the Portuguese and Spanish colonial monopolies found new challenges from the Dutch, English, and French. These three countries aggressively sought to establish their colonial empires in the American continent. These European nations established colonies in the American continent for various reasons; the Spanish desired to have gold and silver; the French sought animals with valuable fur for trade, and the English sought fortune in the American continent. The majority, however, aspired to discover freedom; freedom of religion, and freedom of government. The British were encouraged to move to the American continent by the explorations made by the French and Spanish. In addition, the English and the Dutch were determined to break the Spanish and Portuguese trade routes and overseas colonization. This led them to settle in the American continent. The Dutch colonized several Caribbean Islands and managed to seize Brazil from the Portuguese and Spanish dominance in 1621. They established the Dutch East India Company during the same period. Further in North America, the Dutch formed New Netherlands after the exploration conducted on their behalf by Henry Hudson. The Dutch then proceeded to buy the Island of Manhattan from the Native American tribe in 1624 and named it the city of New Amsterdam (McCannon 246). The English captured the city from the Dutch in 1664 and renamed it the city of New York. This essay discusses the colonization of North America, especially the American colonies controlled by the British.
The English and the Dutch moved into the American continent as part of their commercial and military rivalry with Spain. The two nations established their colonial empires in the Caribbean, specifically in the Islands of Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad. Successful North American colonization started at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1606. The first English permanent settlements were established in this town, and it was the first of the 13 colonies of America. The economic activities were the driving force of the establishment of the colony in Jamestown. However, many other colonies were established by religious minorities, specifically the puritans and Quakers who were escaping persecution at home. These people established settlements in America because they sought freedom of worship. The official religion in England then was the Church of England. The British King did not allow people to attend any other religion apart from the Anglican Church. Those who refused to follow the church were jailed or sent out of the country. Other members of the Anglican Church called the puritans had opposing ideas about the Church of England than the King did. The British monarchy did not allow them to express their ideas and therefore, they decided to leave England to find religious freedom. In 1620, the Mayflower colony was established; followed by Pilgrim’s Plymouth colony in 1628, and the Boston colony established in 1630. In 1664, the British took over the New Amsterdam colony from the Dutch and renamed it New York. The colony was Pennsylvania was organized in 1682 where the British established America’s largest city of Philadelphia. The French colonization of the American continent commenced in Canada in the 16th and 17th Centuries. The French laid claim of the expansive Louisiana territory in the 16oos. Louisiana territory included the Mississippi basin and the Great Lakes. They also challenged the Spanish in the south and along the Mexican Gulf. The main interest of the French interest in colonizing North America was the fur trade. The French colonists were skilled hunters, voyageurs, and woodsmen. However, by mid 17th Century, the French had lost much of their colonial territory in the American continent. Its principal continental rival was the English although the Spanish were also her enemies. Despite collaborating with several Native American tribes, the French colonists were defeated by the English settlers in several conflicts. These conflicts included; Queen Anne’s war which began in 1701-1714, King George’s War which happened in 1740 and ended in 1748, and the Seven Years War in Europe. The result of the French Indian War, that is, the Seven Years War enabled England to seize Canada from the French. The French were also forced to hand over to Spain the Louisiana region. However, the French recaptured back the region briefly in the late 1700s (McCannon 245).
In sum, the British were the last European power to publicly colonize the American continent. Their determination to colonize the US commenced in 1585. The English settlers arrived in the region and proceeded to establish the settlement of Raleigh presently referred to as North Carolina. The English then settled along the East Coast from the early 1600s to 1783 (Hone 26). The English then waged wars against; France for its expansion to the west, Spain for southward expansion, and the third was against her colonists in the American Revolutionary war. The British laid claim of North America and established its authority of possession. This authority demanded all its colonial subjects to be loyal to England. They provided charters to large companies that speculated land. These land speculation companies were owned by wealthy English citizens of the upper class. The British allowed each stockholder have a specified amount of acreage and the necessary authority on companies to distribute grants and land titles for all other farms within the charter to all those who were loyal to the British empire. The governments governing communities within the British colonies were under the authority of the British colonial empire. In its expansionism tendencies, the British saw the British annihilate its subjects in its attempt to settle north of Florida. However, the English settlements were only considered successful until they established Jamestown in 1607. The Virginia Company of London played a great role in this success. It became one of the first charters of England in North America. This engagement paved way for the future English involvement in the American continent (Hone 27).
Works cited
Hone, Wade E. Land and Property Research in the United States. New York: Ancestry Publishing, 1997.
McCannon, John. Barron’s AP World History. New York: Barron’s Online Bookshop, 2008.