Diversity In North America During The 18th Century

The ethnically diverse of British colonies in North America during the 18th
“We are a nation of communities... a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky.”
--------- George H. W. Bush
The United States of America has reputation as a country of freedom and diversity ever since the early time of its history- the colonial period. However, it is not until around 17th- 18th century that the British colonies in North America became the most ethnically diverse region in the world. This remarkable and amazing event of people migration happened due to mostly the three main reasons: the economic factors, the role of religion, and the political policies both of the mother country and of the colonies themselves.
First of all, Religious was a significant component of cultural and ethnical diversity throughout colonial America. The German is a good example for the religion “push and pull” factors. Eric Foner said in his Give Me Liberty book that in the eighteenth century, Germany was under a huge religion’s conflict. People were divided into different small groups which were ruled by separate princes who would determine the official religion for the group. As the result there were many people who found themselves following the “wrong” religion—Lutherans in Catholic areas, Catholics in Lutheran areas. In the end, followers everywhere had to face persecution. Therefore, many decided to emigrate to the British colonies where they could find their freedom of religion. On the other hands, the 16th -17th centuries’ period is considered at the “religion war times” for Europe. Professor David McGee in her “Early Modern Europe” lecture slide that there was a reformation of religious, especially Christianity, unity happened in Europe. Many countries chose to remain the national and official religion as Catholic, for examples: Italy, Spain, and France. On the other hands, countries such as Holland,
England, Scotland, and northern Germany decided to follow Protestant. The division of Christianity led to the growth of religious intolerance during the 16th and 17th centuries. Therefore, a series of religious wars broke out: Germany with the Lutherans, Switzerland with Zwingli and Calvin and especially the 30 Years' War which was caused by the conflict was between the Protestants (led by Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden) and the Catholics (led by the Hapsburg rulers of Austria). Therefore, to avoid being forced to change their religions and hoping for a new land with more freedom, many and many Europeans chose to move to the New World. On the other hands, the economic factors also contributed in the migration which led to the ethnical diversity in British colonies.
Secondly, the economic factor also played a huge role in the migration of people, especially from Europe. It is not surprise to know from digital history text that most the earliest settlements were established not under the direction of government, but by commercial companies. Mercantilist thinkers saw colonies as a source of revenue and raw materials, a market for manufactured goods, and a way to strengthen a nation's economic self-sufficiency (1). On the other hands, Professor Marmorstein has discussed about the economic problems in England and Europeans article that the royal revenue tended to be insufficient to meet new demands placed on them. Moreover, there were changes in agriculture fields which led to some serious problems for poor citizens. At the beginning, British and Europeans farmers used to grow their grain on land owned by others, and then they would pay back their land fee after harvesting the crops. However, the landowners discovered they could make more money by tanking back their land and raising sheep (1). Therefore, they did not need too much labor, and there those previous framers were now unemployed. Also in the same article, Marmorstein mentioned about what happened next to the people who lived in Cities: the used to be farmers now tended to go to towns and cities to look for new job. Hence, many and many people competing for jobs and it made the wages drops rapidly. Naturally, the middleclass and working- class people were not pleased with that, but the government still did not do any action to due with the situation. In the end, a conflict between the citizens and their government started to rise (1). Because inflation made life hard for the poorer people, they could no longer pay for basic necessities. Hence, they saw that moving to the North American Colonies was a life-changing opportunity. In their “Reasons for English Immigration to the North American Colonies” section, the novel-guide indicated that “:Growing sugar on islands off the North American coast was so profitable that one man's capital may have spilled over to a relative who lived generations later. People were also quite excited about the idea of Capitalism, the economic system in which one makes even more money by investing his capital in a growing business, for example. Finally, people saw that the vast fields in the New World would yield much produce, and that moving to the Colonies was an opportunity too good to pass up (1).” I the 17th century more and more poor and middle class European s were looking for a better economic system as well as a wealthier land and better resources. North American and British colonies in particular had become the new promise land for mostly people. Hence, economic “push” factor in Europe is one of the reasons for the diversity in British colonies during 18th century. Moreover, besides the religion conflictions in Europe and the economic factors, the political policies both of the mother country and of the colonies themselves also played a role in the diversity of the British’s colonies.
The last major factors which created the ethnical diversity in British colonies during the 18th century was the political policies from both governments-England and the colonies. Even though in the early 17th century, the colonies were essentially British new comers. The British government considers America as a place to help “purify” England. Hence, they would send their “unwanted” citizens to the New World. According to the text Created Equal by Jones and his co-writers, British government would offer hundreds of detainees in jail the opportunities to be transported to British colonies in the New World. Moreover, other poor Europeans who could not pay their passage or debt, they were promised to get transport to the colonies in order to work as indentured servants (112). We can see that the government in England was quite pleased with sending poor and guilty persons to the colonies to work as labor believing that the colonial development equaled the mother nation’s power and wealth (Foner). Plus, they were also not really against the ideas of the immigrants from Europe as French did. Moreover, the policies of government in the British colonies themselves are also an attraction to new comers. Dr. Kenneth Blanchard wrote that as the colonies became stronger, wealthier and bigger, the Council and then the popularly elected Assembly also gained more power. Hence, the ideas of colonists were ruled by the King became more invalid since the King his army were not in the colonies. Therefore, the colonies’ Governor had no need to maintaining his authority and following his laws without the cooperation of the colony’s citizens. By the 1760’s the Colonial Assemblies had become the center of power in the colonies. These Assemblies had won the power to lay taxes on the colonists they represented and to draw up budgets for government expenditures. Thus, the American colonies become self-government and they believed that, “No taxation without representation” (1). This is a quite attraction to Europeans people, moving the New World would provide them a better opportunity to self-governed themselves, their voices should also be heard more, and they would also gained more controlled on the taxes. In addition, the governments from both sides also promised large land granted as well as more freedom in both religions, economy and government policies for immigrants (Jones 122).
Overall, the ethnical diversity in the British colonies was a result of many different events and people. However, the economic factors, the role of religion, and the political policies both of the mother country and of the colonies themselves are still the three major key points to create the unique British colonies later than became the United States of America. In addition, I think that another really interested idea in the diversity of the British colonies is the natural increase in of the America population. There were also children from interracial marriages. However, since the younger generations were born in America, they kept on moving further away from their origins in Europe (111). Hence, as the 18th century began, most British as well as other Europeans thought of themselves as “Americans” rather than European colonists. A new race as well as new idea about an independent nation has started to rise.