Introduction
This essay seeks to investigate the History of Americans in the colonial era, the ways of life and the interrelationships between the colonial subjects and masters. It’s purposed to find out how the book titled “The First Frontier; Life in Colonial America” by John C, Miller, reports about Americans living in the colonial regime. The paper has also attempted to discuss to some extent how the book has contributed to the development of British American History.
Literature Review
Commencing from the 17th Century, there were only a few settlements isolated to the North American Continent, the Eastern seaboard. The British colonies were at the moment scattered over the Coastal region, Maine to Georgia. The colonies had just gotten their independence from Great Britain and were beginning to move past the Appalachian Mountains. The movements and resettlements lasted for about 170 years, equivalent to the number of years it had taken since the United States acquired its independence (Miller, 9, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America).
Miller notes that during this long period of immigrations and resettlements, the colonial Americans were already living a better life, and their ways of life could only be compared to that of their colonial masters, and none other in the world (Miller, 9, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America). They had better shelters, plenty of food and even clothing was not a problem. As he elaborates, “two million white inhabitants of the 13th continental British colonies were better clad and housed and had food in great abundance than even the common people of England…” (Miller, 9, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America).
The living standards enjoyed by the American people during the colonial period gave the American loyal inhabitants the audacity of pride. Among such Loyalists was Jonathan Boucher, “a Maryland clergyman”. Boucher contended that “if his fellow Americans would compare their situation with that of the nine-tenth of the people of the world…they were the most fortunate of all mankind” (Miller, 10, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America).
During those colonial days in America, there never existed a “single, pervasive, and uniform way of life”. Religion, occupation and geography played a critical role in clustering up the colonial society (Miller, 10, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America). However; this state of disunity out of diversity did not deter the colonial Americans from becoming successful in life. Under their colonies, they were still eager to venture into the business of production and consumption and consequently becoming self-sufficient people (Miller, 10, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America).
Religion and “cultural heterogeneity” were more evident in “the focal point of the 18th Century British and European inhabitants” that was Pennsylvania. There was also no economic or social correlation between North and South Carolina, with Georgia presenting a peculiar state of social and economic planning (Miller, 10-11, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America).
Even though there were, generally, the effects of common language, ideologies and political institutions, there was still an escalating rift between the colonies and their subjects. The governing authority was facing incessant opposition from colonial subjects, the Americans. Consequently, Americans embarked on their struggle for independence and sovereignty (Miller, 11, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America).
According to John Miller, “Americans generally placed a higher premium upon their success in life”. If any man could fail to be successful in America, then such a man was not likely to be successful elsewhere on earth (Miller, 13, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America). Notably,” those who fell by the way in the triumphant march to affluence were…regarded a the victims of their own incompetence, improvidence and laziness” (Miller, 13, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America).
In describing life in “the first settlements”, Miller posits that the good life enjoyed by Americans in the colonial times was the result of toils and sweats of those English men and women who struggled to turn the originally hostile and unknown continent into a productive land of consumptions (Miller, 13, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America).
Discussions
Apparently, life in America during the colonial times was not any worse, that is, if we have to agree with John Miller. In spite of the fact that the Americans, like any of the victims of colonialists, were under the rule and authority of the colonists, this didn’t seem to have affected them at all in their ways of survival. Miller, though, emphasizes that it was all about hard works, struggles and determination that made it possible for the achievement of success, hence the better living standards in America (Miller, 11-250, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America).
Miller is, however, not clear in discussing the sufferings of the Colonial subjects in America, the aspects of slavery commonly known to must have been rampant during those colonial regimes, regardless of color, race or creed. He has rather concentrated more on how successful the Americans could have been in the colonial times (Miller, 11-250, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America). Their happy and perfect ways of life are remarkably not compared to any other in the world, needless to mention their colonial masters as Miller contends in this book.
There is a possibility that Miller has not elaborately linked his historical account of life in colonial America to what many historians have held about the history of Americans during the colonial period. Generally, historians hold that there was slavery, miseries and massive sufferings in the pre-colonial regimes. This sharply contradicts what Miller presents in his book.
In the same vein, it may not be fair that this book is completely challenged for being so much narrowed in giving the account of Colonial American history. John Miller has indeed accentuated that there were high living standards at the time (Miller, 9-13, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America). If not for his rather overstated tone of historical account, then there could be minimum criticisms left to be labeled against this work.
Additionally, this book has dwelt much on the interrelationship that existed amongst the colonial Americans and between the Americans and their colonial masters. From this source of history, readers come to learn there was no sense of national unity amongst the Americans during those old days. They were divided and diversified along with their socio-cultural creeds, political institutions and colonial landmarks. Something which Miller argues did not prevent them from becoming the most successful and prosperous people in the world (Miller, 11-250, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America).
As per Miller’s account, the relationship between Great Britain, colonizers and colonial Americans, the white inhabitants, in particular, was generally good. This was facilitated by the notion that they spoke common languages, cultural practices, and almost lived the same standards of life. Their differences majorly came in the land issues, as the colonizers claimed nearly all the productive lands that were originally Americans (Miller, 11-250, The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America).
Conclusion
This book has generally portrayed life in colonial America to have been perfect and of high standards. The basic necessities like food, shelter and clothing did not present the colonial American inhabitants any problem, even though they were under the authority of the colonial government. Miller has too noted in the colonial time, men were hardworking, very industrious and productive. It was hard to come by an unsuccessful man in America. Such men were deemed as incompetent, lazy and improvident in achieving the best out of their lives.
Miller informs us that the colonial Americans were very industrious people, eager to venture into the business of production and consumption. Their being under the rule of colonialists did not go well with them, they also wanted independence, and consequently, they began struggling for the same. It is easy to conclude that the high standards of living in the United States today have been the result of the colonial Americans’ struggles, hard works and perseverance. Such extra-ordinary attributes of success made some of the American Loyalists like Jonathan Boucher hold that America was a land of opportunities to every man, irrespective of cultural diversities, political systems, geography or social doctrines. Failures in life were therefore the choices of those individuals who did not make it throughout their lifetimes in colonial America. Success in life was meant for all the Americans who worked hard for it.
Works Cited
Miller, John. The First Frontier: Life in Colonial America. New York. University Press of America. Dell Pub. Co.1966.9-283