The Indian and European elations
The earliest recorded interactions between the Indians and the Europeans were made in the 1852s although many Europeans had been travelling across the lands that had been settled upon by the Indians. Many of these travelers were in search of new lands and their main agenda was exploration. However, the use of gold and other precious items in trade led to many of these explorers to interact with the natives of the lands they passed through. Upon return to their home countries, they would send more people to the lands through which they had travelled. Hence, as the years progressed, more travelers got interested in finding out what the natives of those lands did and how they lived. As expected, many of the travelers got interested in the newly discovered lands and opted to settle. Initially, the natives received them well and even allowed them settle on their lands since they thought of the strangers as harmless visitors and new found neighbors (Tucker et al 18).
Unknown to the Indians, these visitors would later cause havoc, drive them out of their lands and even kill them. The first Europeans to interact with the Indians were the Spanish who sent in missionaries from their homeland to settle in the newly found lands. Their main aim was to convert the Indian communities into Christians and make them more accommodating in order to soften the ground for the coming of the traders and other settlers who would follow much later. Initially, some Indian tribes accepted to convert to Christianity but there were those that probably read malice and declined. Within a few years, the Spanish were setting up missions in all corners of the lands they had settled upon and inviting over their brothers from Spain. While many Spaniards were traders and moved to all parts of the region in search of trade items and markets, the Indians were mostly hunters and gatherers and as such the rift between the two escalated with time since they did not have any common interests either in religion or socioeconomic values.
After a while, battles began to erupt with the major Indian tribes pushing for the expulsion of the settlers while those who had converted to Christianity fought alongside the settlers to drive away those who had not converted to Christianity. This was viewed as a battle of a people against themselves since the settlers used the collaborating communities to punish those who rebelled against their demands. The collaborators were promised lands once the battle to expulse the rebellious tribe was over. However, this was not to be and for a long time, the European settlers did not live in peace since the one-time collaborators turned against them upon realization that the lands they had been promised were not forthcoming. Thus, the Indians became the minority and the sufferers in their own land (Oshinsky 59).
Settlement of Virginia and Massachusetts Bay
The colonies of Massachusetts and Virginia were both established by the English in the 1600s. However, their reasons for being established had complete variations as the residents of the two colonies had different reasons for leaving England and settling in these newly created colonies. While residents of Massachusetts were guys fleeing from the political and religious oppression they faced back in England, those in Virginia were kind of getting a reward for their loyalty to the King of England. This was clearly manifest in the lifestyles of the two groups in terms of politics, economics and religion as well.
While Massachusetts was a self-governed colony, Virginia was under direct rule from the King of England who appointed landowners and other wealthy people within the society to rule over the residents. Much of Virginia owners’ property was treated as property belonging to the English public companies whose owners were the same people who would get appointments to rule over residents. In Massachusetts however, people believed more in private property and the only form of leadership was that provided by either religious leaders or family leaders. The residents of Massachusetts were more of a people seeking liberation from the harsh conditions that they faced in England for their role in the call for a transformation in the country and as such had to flee in fear of persecution. Some of the leadership styles used in the Virginia colonies were the same that caused uproar among those who moved to Massachusetts (Tucker et al 57).
Economically, those in the Virginia colonies were more like the English masters who would buy slaves to work on their farms for little pay and for long years. Some masters would sign contracts with slave owners to have the slaves work for them for a duration of seven years and many of the slaves died before completing the contract period due to harsh conditions and treatment from their masters. Those in Massachusetts on the other hand advocated for the need for personal rights and as such did not allow the use of slaves within their colonies. Families were the main source of labor in Massachusetts farms. The need for slaves within the Virginia colonies later sparked the trade of slaves brought from Africa and Asia.
In the religious circles, Virginia residents were more strict believers in the Anglican Church and tolerated other religions as opposed to those within the Massachusetts colonies who believed in converting all residents to Christianity and aimed at having the Church of England reformed. Differences within the church were believed to be a major contributor to the intolerance between the Massachusetts residents while they were still in England as they wanted matters of the church separated from those of the sate (Oshinsky 73).
French and Indian Wars
The French and Indian war resulted from the continued tension between the French and Great Britain over colonies that were mostly in North America. The two constantly tries to gain more territory that belonged to the other and with time, it became evident that none was ready to handle the intrusions by the other. As such, the two sought the help of allies in order to form a big army that would seize back the lands that had been taken away. One of the most contentious areas was the Ohio River Valley where the French had set up many frontiers in an effort to keep the British at bay. However, the British also felt aggrieved by the French who would invade British territories and demarcate British land as their own. The tension finally erupted into a war in 1754 and for the next seven years, several countries would try to intervene without any success (Oshinsky 81).
The British used too much resource in funding the war that their government came to a near collapse; a fact that did not go well with many British ministers and representatives who demanded that the government withdraw its forces from the war. Out of fear of embarrassment after spending so much time and finances in the war, the British king opted to continue with the war. In the meantime, a similar war had started in India between the French and Britain and this fuelled the need for both sides to win in both wars as it would give them a better reputation as well as a gained advantage of controlling the colonies which were resourceful and were viewed as major stepping stones for economic gains. The French triumphed over the British earlier and were able to silence them for a while in the American colonies although all this while, the war did not make much impact to other countries (Foner & Eric, 78-79).
Things changed in 1757 when the British forces in India triumphed over the French and this rekindled the war and the war in America intensified once again. This time, the British seemed more determined and in 1759 they invaded Canada and conquered capturing it from the French. What followed was a series of captures of French territories by the British and these included the Caribbean Islands and the Philippines. The British also captured Cuba which was a Spanish colony due to the aiding of the French by the Spanish. Cuba was later to be handed back to Spain. The war ended after the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763 after all colonies in dispute had been shared although Britain got the lion’s share (Tucker 82).
The Slave Trade
The slave trade began soon after Europeans started moving into the newly discovered lands of America. Majority of the Europeans were either merchants or farmers and thus they required laborers on their farms or people to carry their merchandise while they were on long journeys. Many of the farmers and merchants originally brought their slaves from Europe where they had been working for them until they moved into America. However, upon the arrival in America, Europeans encountered the Natives and more specifically the Indians who were to be used as a replacement for the slaves they had brought from home. Some wealthy merchants would have so many slaves that they would sell them to their fellow settlers who had not brought with them any slaves from Europe (Tucker et al 138).
As new lands were being discovered and the trade intensified, the need for slaves grew and at the time, voyagers crossed all parts of the world in search of new commodities for trade. Africa was discovered and subsequently many Africans were taken captive and sold to the merchants who shipped them to America for sale to land owners. Merchants profited greatly from the trade and some even abandoned their old trade to engage in slave trade. The land owners in America also profited by far since production on their lands jumped by unprecedented levels. All this while, they benefited from Africans who would be ill-treated and mishandled as they toiled the farms. Most of these farms grew cotton and were located in the southern parts of America. However, with time, better opportunities emerged in the north and many slaves abandoned the southern farms to seek better jobs in the north. This led to a massive interaction between the Africans and Natives as well as the whites.
What followed was a change in the cultural norm where the Africans and Natives more so the Indians would push for better living conditions and protested the high headedness of their settler masters. This push for equality would later trickle down to subsequent generations that fought so hard for the inclusion of other races into the American community (Oshinsky 98).
Principle causes to the American Revolution and why they were significant
The American Revolution that is as well-known as the Revolutionary War was a significant event for various reasons. For instance, it is through the American Revolution that the current age comes to acknowledge not only who won and lost the war but also why they won as well as loss the war. As for the Americans, the revolution can be credited to have brought about the United States with its basic fundamentals in the constitution that granted each and every person his/her right and freedom. It is worth mentioning that before the revolution, it was only the king and his government who were in a position of offering rights but the revolution transformed that. Additionally, the American Revolution swayed a lot of movements around the world and the French Revolution and the Russian revolutions can be taken as examples not to mention the European revolution movements that took place in the year 1948.
There are various factors that can be attributed to be the causes of the American Revolution with restrictions of the American Colonies being one of the factors. Since the King needed some more money to buy supplies for his army, he opted to imposing taxes on the colonies without their approval and that irritated the colonies giving way to the start of the revolution. The intolerable Acts is another cause that can be said to have brought about the Revolution. It was an enactment that was imposed by the king as a result of the Boston Tea Party that saw the colonists refusing to permit the tea to leave their ports and stripping then sending the ship owner away from the ship without clothes (Foner, 124-125). As a result, The Intolerable Acts resulted to the government of Massachusetts being placed under direct British control something that did not go well with the locals. In in all, various reasons can be stated as causes of the American Revolution but they all add up to one thing; that the revolution was as a result of a disagreement over the manner in which the British was treating the colonies with the way the colonies felt that they ought to be treated. For instance, while the Americans felt that they deceived to be acknowledged and be offered all the Englishman’s rights, the British on the other thought otherwise for they felt that the colonies were formulated to be used to sustain the king and his desires. It was sure desires that saw the king impose taxes on the colonies resulting to the American Revolution.
Factors that contributed to American victory in the Revolution and they contributed to that success
The American victory in the Revolution was contributed to various factors such as the support that the Americans got from the entire local population, they were as well motivated to join the army in the fighting for their independence unlike when they were forced to join the army and fight for nothing but the wish of returning home safely, the distance among the two parties was disadvantageous to the British since their supply was thousands miles away compared to their counterparts among many other reasons. Nevertheless, there are three major reasons that can be cited for the Americans victory.
One of them is that the distance that has been mentioned above. The distance between the two especially the many miles over the Atlantic Ocean prevented the British from effectively managing, communicating, and supplying the army with essential facilities for the war in addition to the fact that the locals were in a better position to maneuver in a terrain they know best (Foner & Eric, 98-99). The second reason that can be given for the victory is the able leadership that the Americans had. Under the leadership of Colonel George Washington, the unified army was lucky to be led by a charismatic and bold leader and even with numerous initial defeats; he was able to motivate his army for the larger victory. He as well adopted the defensive method something that enabled him to avoid a direct and fruitless combat with the larger and more powerful British armies. Finally, the French played a major role in the American victory in the revolution. Initially, the French were providing the American with weapons and other aid prior to the year 1778 but later the French joined forces with the American. The main reason for that can be attributed to the fear the strength and power the British were to get if they were to win the war. By the alliance, the British navy was dominated and that is the main factor that contributed to the eventual American victory in the year 1781.
Works Cited
Foner, Eric, and Eric Foner. Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History. New York: W.W. Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. New York: W.W. Norton, 2012. Print. Norton & Co, 2011. Print.
Oshinsky, David A. E. U. J. S. L. U. G. L. American Passages: A History of the United States,volume 1. S.l.: Wadsworth Publishing Co I, 2010. Print.
Tucker, Spencer, James R. Arnold, and Roberta Wiener. The Encyclopedia of North American Indian Wars, 1607-1890: A Political, Social, and Military History. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2011. Print.
