Social, economic, political and cultural life in the mainland colonies between the Glorious Revolution in 1688-89 and the end of the French and Indian War in 1763.
The events of the uprisings during the Glorious Revolution resulted in temporary stability in the social, political and economic spheres by developing the workable government.
The political and constitutional settlement along with the rise of the parliament is recognized as one of the most important consequences of the Revolution, the partial shift from the centralized governance of the local affairs, producing the effect of the relative stability and postponing the global changes for several generations (Taylor 90). Despite the geographical and the cultural differences among the colonies, the uprisings indicated the beginning of the revolutionary changes towards assuming the equality of rights for the English and American colonies. The events of the Glorious Revolution have been an important turning point in the history of the British American colonies.
The evolutionary processes in the social, economic and political spheres of life in the mainland colonies taking place after 1689 preconditioned the consolidation of the colonies and their future search for independence by confronting one of the most powerful empires in the world. As to the political and social sphere, when the mainland colonies were allowed to have to organize the local governments, they took the chance, supporting the local leaders and creating the strong elite which played a significant role in the future struggle for independence. Concerning the cultural development, this period is associated with the occurrence of unrestricted colonial press and the activity of the white males in creating the associations for political purposes.
The seeming stability of the mainland colonies since the events of the Glorious Revolution till the end of the French and Indian War in 1763 implied the evolutionary processes which preconditioned the consolidation of the colonies and strengthening of the colonial elites and governments.
William Pen has been recognized as the absolute proprietor of the Pennsylvania Province. The Charter of Pennsylvania was signed by the King Charles on March 4, 1681 and the land was granted to Penn for his father’s debt. He was known for encouraging Quakerism.
The establishment of the constitutional monarchy was the main achievement of the Glorious Revolution. It preconditioned the appearance of the local colonial governments and strong elites. The events of the Revolution made the consolidation and strengthening of the mainland colonies possible.
Slavery and slave trading were significant elements of the colonial economy. Another important factor was the development of the port cities. The development of the port cities infrastructure was associated with tobacco as the main export product.
The family labor played an important role in New England economy. There was a gender distinction in the work of men and women. Women could work only for their father or husband as compared to men who worked for employers and received wages for their work.
The Enlightenment in America involved only the inhabitants of the seaports and the elites of the countryside. On the other hand, the political development of America can be regarded as Enlightenment in action. The ideas of Enlightenment influenced the development of the American institutions and political practices.
Locke’s studies supported the Glorious Revolution. In the second of the two of his Treatises of Government, Locke insisted on the relationships of trust between the rulers and their subjects according to the natural law. Another important point is the rationalized support for the colonial acquisition which was justified with the prejudice concerning the advantageous European labor standards as compared to the aboriginal customs.
The French and Indian War took place in North America. The results of the war not only had impact on the alignment of forces in Europe but also changed the frontiers of the American colonies. The Treaty of Paris which was signed after the end of the war described the new frontiers for the colonies.
It can be said that New England women were living in the micro-economic world, taking into account the gendered division of labor in the colonies. They were involved mainly into the family labor and did not work for the employers as opposed to men who received money for their work. The work had impact on the status of women in the society and could not be separated from it (Alcott 121). The secondary position of women in the New England society does not diminish the importance of their impact into the macroeconomic dimension because the family labor had impact on the colonial economy in general.
Works Cited
Alcott, Louisa. Good Wives. New York: Penguin Popular Classics, 2004. Print.
Taylor, Alan. American Colonies. New York: Penguin Books, 2002. Print.