England, similarly to its European rivals, Spain, and later France and the Netherlands, was actively involved in the exploration of the New World. English people saw this exploration as a solution to several serious issues they faced in their homeland. The lack of land and opportunities in England due to overpopulation, religious prosecution of the Puritans, as well as the government’s desire to remain competitive among other European countries (Shi 59). The English government established the so-called Virginia Company that was invested by the king and investors, but the company failed, and the colonies found themselves under the rule of the English government.
Settlers were predominantly low-income families and individuals who were promised and received land in the new territories. People established their own settlements or sometimes lived in indigenous people’s villages or other settlers’ fortifications. Vast territories were often granted (or sold) to landowners, while the settlements were rules by appointed governors. Later (when the territories expanded), people could vote to choose their government, and voters were usually free men of European descent. First, their religious beliefs played a considerable role in their voting rights, but in some colonies (such as Rhode Island), religion did not influence that matter (Shi 82). The relations between the indigenous people and English people were strained as the invaders aimed at taking the lands away from the Native Peoples.
First, indigenous leaders thought that newcomers came to trade with them. However, soon they realized that white people came to settle on their land (Shi 64). Hence, numerous conflicts and wars broke out regularly, and indigenous people were forced out of their homes by new diseases and weapons of English settlers. Indigenous nations united and made alliances to fight against invaders. They formed states based on the principles of equity and justice. There were periods of peace between settlers and Native Peoples, collaboration, and the display of compassion and goodwill on both sides when the two opposing groups helped each other in different ways.
Although initially, free people came to the new lands, servantship and slavery soon became widely spread and even became the basis of the colonies’ economy. For example, indentured servants were people who signed contracts to exchange their labor (during several years) for land (or other property) (Shi 65). Slavery was widespread in Africa, but the way slaves were treated differed in the Americas. In Africa, slaves could be killed or sold, but they also lived with their captives and enjoyed similar living conditions (Shi 107). In the Americas, slaves were treated brutally, but it was not the major background of the economy in British colonies as it was more important for Spanish and Dutch colonies.
Several decades after the first settlers had come to the New World, conflicts between different groups of Europeans began. In the middle of the seventeenth century, English, Dutch, French, and Spanish colonies competed and attacked each other. The war for resources and lands was quite fierce among colonies. The Civil War in England caused major changes in their colonies as some of them (Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, New Haven, and Connecticut) formed confederations (Shi 84). This decision was a response to the growing tension among the colonies of different countries.
Importantly, English colonies grew to prominence in several decades compared to the ones of France and the Netherlands. Some of the reasons for that were a larger population of settlers, as well as the economic background. English settlements were self-sustaining where people were motivated to develop their communities, while other colonists often had plans for temporal life in America and bringing resources from the New World to their European homes. People in England’s colonies also had more freedom to manage their lives, while Spanish, French, and Dutch colonies were controlled by their governments.
Work Cited
Shi, David E. America: A Narrative History. 11th ed., W. W. Norton & Company, 2019.