History Questions Essay Sample

The motivation to settle in the Americas included both economic interest and escape from religious persecution. After Gilbert and Raleigh returned from their expeditions, they urged the queen to challenge Spain's threat of domination in the West. After Spain attacked Antwerp in 1570, thus endangering England's hold on European cloth, England looked at the new world to find a new market for the stuff. As a result, people started to make sojourns to the Americas to try and forge new economic prospects there. People like Frobisher and Gilbert, though they failed, attempted to traverse to America in order to either find gold or get rid of England's poor, so these treks were also economically related. Raleigh's journey to America was meant to improve England's economy due to the rich natural resources that America had.
Of course, there were also religious reasons for people to move to America. Groups like the Puritans were no longer welcome in England due to their radical beliefs, so they were shipped off to America so that they could not bother anyone. This also worked for the Puritans, as they sought a place where they could worship in peace. However, many other factors were economic in nature, including the impulse for mercantilism by the Europeans. The colonists would offer raw materials, as well as buy goods that were created in England.
1.Agricultural Revolution The Agricultural Revolution was the switch in human society from being a hunter-gatherer culture to an agrarian one. Before, groups of humans were nomadic, hunting and gathering as they could and keeping populations small. However, once agriculture was invented and new ways of keeping large, sustainable crops of food were developed, human cultures started the road toward civilization. With steady, guaranteed supplies of food, societies started to develop, growing in size and staying in one place. With this change, humans became developed peoples and social, political and economic creatures. 2.Christopher Columbus One notable example of mistakes leading to tremendous new possibilities is Christopher Columbus - in 1492, his search for a Western route to Asia led to the discovery of the New World, America. Technically, his mission was a failure, as he did not make it to Asia. He even made the mistake of believing that he was in Asia, which is where the trend of naming Native Americans "Indians" originated. However, his discovery led to the colonization and creation of an entirely new section of the planet by European society; through his mistake, opportunity rose. 3.Queen Elizabeth I During the English Reformation, 'The Virgin Queen' took the throne in 1558 - an openly Protestant queen immediately following an anti-Protestant Queen (Mary, Queen of Scots). This set off the Protestant Reformation, which changed Christianity irrevocably throughout Europe, setting off religious wars around the continent. She also allowed Sir Walter Raleigh to sail to Roanoke in order to boost the economy of England. Dying in 1603, Elizabeth left a huge legacy as the bringer of a golden age of Protestantism in Europe, changing the national and religious landscape irrevocably. 4.Henry VIII Henry VIII was a notorious king, and an important figure in the English Reformation. He wanted to be succeeded by a male heir, but his wife Catherine of Aragon had a daughter. As a result, he chose to marry Anne Boleyn, wishing to annul his marriage to Catherine. However, Catherine's father made the pope refuse the request, a refusal that Henry simply ignored. Henry then declared himself the head of the Church of England. This was the beginning of the religious rifts that would start to occur in England, continuing with the Protestant Reformation.5.Jamestown Established in 1607 in Chesapeake Bay, it was another attempt to colonize North America after the failed Roanoke colony disappeared. Here, the colonists and Native Americans experienced significant troubles, as the English starved while the natives stayed well-fed (due to their superior knowledge of the area). The Powhatan hated the barbaric English, but gained respect for Captain John Smith, who made Jamestown an orderly place. This softened relations, and the English gave guns and goods to the Pawhatan in exchange for their help. This was one of the first successful interactions between the English and the natives in American history. 6.Puritans The Puritans were an oppressed religious group in England who were effectively ousted by James I in 1603 for their strange beliefs. The Puritans believed that God had already decided how history would unfold, and wanted to reform the church according to John Calvin's designs. They protested against the English government's allowance of "sins" like gambling and public swearing, making them unwanted among the English. Their strict religious beliefs were a significant part of their leaving for the Americas, to find a new home where they would be tolerated. 7.Salem Witch Trials The witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts left 20 women executed on suspicion of being witches. These accusations of witch-hood often came about as a result of Puritan women not honoring their traditions (serving God by serving their men). When women asserted their rights and agency, they were accused of witchcraft. All in all, around 344 people in New England were charged with witchcraft, showing this to be a prevalent phenomenon in Puritan America. In essence, the Salem Witch Trials were evidence of the barbarism of a strictly religious people who did not allow their women the agency they required. 8.The Enlightenment During the 18th century, the Enlightenment allowed Americans to notice the vast diversity of people who lived in their country - urban vs. rural folk, rich and poor, etc. Leaders of the Enlightenment were known as "philosophers" who emphasized reason as a way to progress the human species toward greatness. One of these figures was Ben Franklin, who loved the Enlightenment's emphasis on experimentation and education, using knowledge and science as a barometer for progress. He experimented with electricity and lightning, as well as air currents, heat and even systems of government. His eclecticism and scientific curiosity was a perfect example of the Enlightenment's values. 9.The Stamp Act of 1765 The Stamp Act of 1765 came about as a means to pay for England's involvement in the Seven Years' War. Given the fact that the colonies were the ones being defended in that war, the House of Commons felt as though it was their responsibility to pay a larger portion of the bill. The biggest reason that the colonists opposed these decisions was that they were being unfairly taxed without representation; since they did not have a say in how the government was run, they felt they should not have to pay these taxes. The colonists considered this a violation of their civil rights.
10.The Boston Massacre These tensions between England and America culminated in the Boston Massacre, the killing of six colonists by beleaguered British soldiers, kickstarting a breakdown in political goodwill and the beginning of revolution. British troops were often targeted by disgruntled Americans who hated them for taking jobs, leading to many conflicts between the two groups. On March 5, 1770, 10 British soldiers were being heckled and hit with objects, leading the soldiers to panic and shoot the crowd. This was the event that finally stirred the American people into revolting against their British masters.11.Battle of King's Mountain The Battle of King's Mountain was fought by Thomas Sumter, a militia leader who fought British and loyalist forces throughout South Carolina. In October of 1780, they fought Patrick Ferguson and a group of loyalists at King's Mountain in Gastonia, North Carolina, soundly defeating them. Coming after a string of disasters by revolutionary forces, this decisive victory was a great coup for the American Revolution. It boosted morale and caused Lord Cornwallis to stop invading North Carolina. It turned out to be the turning point where the American forces started to win. 12.Coercive Acts/Intolerable Acts After the Boston Tea Party, the British government attempted to crack down on subversion. To that end, they passed the Coercive Acts (also known as the Intolerable Acts). In March 1774, the Boston Port Bill closed down all harbors. In May 1774, the Massachusetts assembly was made no longer independent through the Massachusetts Government Act. These were all attempts for Parliament to try to gain authority over their colonies once more. Meetings of people in towns were forbidden, and the popularly elected council members were replaced with King-appointed councils.13.Albany Plan The Albany Plan was created in 1754 in order to create a consistent, unified government for the colonies. It was co-created by Ben Franklin, and the idea was to create one general government, with a federal council that would have representatives from each colony there. A president-general would lead the council, and that council would be in charge of Indian policy, patrolling harbors, and defending its borders. While the commissioners at Albany were accepting of the plan, the colonies themselves rejected it. Colony assemblies wanted to still tax the people of their colony, and so they did not approve the Albany Plan. 14.Bacon's Rebellion There were most certainly attempts to usurp the colonial elite or lessen their hold on the social and political fortunes of America. In 1760, Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia proved that a large group of the lower class could successfully overthrow one of the social elite from office (Governor William Berkeley was recalled to England after the Rebellion). Many other rebellions and uprisings cropped up immediately afterward as a result of that highly-publicized event, and colonial governments were being challenged left and right. However, it was not until the events leading up to the Revolutionary War that the colonial elite friendly to Britain were thrown out or usurped.15.William Penn/Quakers
William Penn was the founder of Pennsylvania and the leader of the Quakers. He was expelled from college, and so decided to lead his people in the Americas. In the 1670s, Penn became of the of the leaders of the 'society of friends'. Quakers are known to dress in plain clothing, to not bow or take off their hats to social superiors, were pacifists, and allowed women to have religious leadership roles. These beliefs led them to quickly colonize Pennsylvania in order to have a specific place to practice them.