Essay 9/6/08: Comparing the Colonies

The English colonies in the New World shared many things, but they were also very different. Some were founded on the basis of religious freedom or tolerance. Others were created for political or economic reasons. Populations varied differed by high numbers and some colonies were much more diverse than others. Many colonies had governments that gave citizens little to no voice, while others allowed all adult men to be involved. Each colony had a completely original history and culture.

The colonies were all founded for different reasons. Many founders were searching for religious freedom. Massachusetts Bay was created by Puritans who sought to escape the persecution they had faced in England. The separatists, also known as Pilgrims, who felt the need to separate from the Church of England due to differences, founded Plymouth. Lord Baltimore, who was given Maryland by the King, wanted to create a haven for Catholics. Roger Williams, after being driven from Salem, Massachusetts for his beliefs in equality, created Rhode Island as a place of religious freedom. Thomas Hooker left Massachusetts because he wanted to practice a freer and more tolerant form of Protestantism. He founded Connecticut as a colony for people with similar beliefs. William Penn, a Quaker who was given land by the King, founded Pennsylvania both on his belief in religious tolerance and his desire to have positive relations with the Native Americans. Other colonies had different origins. Virginia was founded for economic reasons. Many people came from England to Virginia seeking precious metals such as gold. Georgia was originally planned as a place to house English debtors that were in jail, but that idea was never actually put in motion. Delaware has perhaps the most interesting history, as it changed hands between the Dutch and the Swedes several times from 1631 to 1673, before the English took control in 1674.

The populations varied in different colonies. Virginia had the highest number of people, with an estimated 447,000 in 1770. That was over 12 times the population of Delaware, which was only about 35,500 people. The races and religions of these people were also very different in separate colonies. Massachusetts Bay had a population that consisted entirely if Puritans, while Plymouth’s consisted of Separatists. The people of Virginia were almost all Anglicans, although they did not incorporate it into their government as much as the Puritans and Separatists did. Connecticut’s population was mainly Puritans who, like their founder, preferred a more tolerant approach. Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Maryland were much more diverse when it came to religion because they all promoted religious tolerance. New York had a high number of Dutch people because of the fact that the Dutch had settled there earlier. Delaware’s population was very diverse because there were still remnants of all the different countries that had controlled it before the English. A large percentage of Georgia’s population was African slaves.

Although all of the colonies were part of England, they were each governed differently. Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Delaware were all proprietary colonies. Their individual governments were decided by whoever the King had given the land to. Pennsylvania, however, still had its taxes enforced by the British Parliament. Delaware was only a proprietary colony from 1682 to 1701, before William Penn, its owner, could no longer control it and it became independent. It elected its own assembly in 1704. By the time of the Revolution, all proprietary colonies except for Pennsylvania and Maryland had come under royal rule. The non-proprietary colonies had their own individual governments, allowing for a certain amount of self-government. Virginia had the House of Burgesses, which was the first representative government in the New World. Connecticut’s Fundamental Orders boasted a democratic government following the will of the people. Rhode Island’s charter guaranteed religious freedom, which was very strange at that time. As a contrast, Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay both based laws on religion, forcing people to go to church and punishing people for things that they considered to be sins.

None of the founders of the colonies were seeking the same thing. The Americas were new and each colony could be shaped into something different. Many were diverse while others were created purely for one religion or race. Some were given the right to govern themselves, but many had to obey leaders appointed by the English King. The laws created by these governments were unique in themselves, as they were all created to tailor to specific interests. Through these differences, the colonies created unique cultures and societies.

[Soure for populations: http://merrill.olm.net/mdocs/pop/colonies/colonies.htm]