Political Reasons for British Imperialism Essay

Introduction

The British needed to expand its territory for more political power. The Crown perceived the expansion of land as the attainment of the ultimate political power in the world. In this regard, the British viewed the exploration and the subsequent exploration of untamed land, where rules and regulations were absent, inspired and motivated them to establish a new system of governance. The growing imperialism and the soaring patriotic feelings spurred countries to compete with the others for supremacy (Breen, 2017). Essentially, the colonization of America and the establishment of the imperialism was a matter of security, prestige, and pride. The British sought strategic territory to gain access for its army and the navy in the United States. The political motives arose from the responses viewed as causing threats to the prestige or security of the imperial power or its citizens stationed abroad.

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Social Reasons for the British Colonization of North America

The British colonized North America because of ethnocentric reasons. They believed that their beliefs and cultural values were superior to the citizens or the Native Americans. They believed that the Imperial conquest would bring cultural success to the seemingly inferior people. For example, in the 19th century the British had the racist notion that their culture was superior to that of the North American citizens. Therefore, the aim was to conquer and to civilize the natives. Additionally, they wanted spread religion or the Christian faith, which was also a way of increasing its empire (Breen, 2017). The Christian missionaries built churches in the conquered territories of North America. The churches then acted as the locations for the spread of Western culture to the natives through the teaching of language through the religious and educational interactions. The missionaries also led the charge in the campaign against the slave trade.

The Social, Economic, and Political Structures of the Colonies

It is worth noting that the colonists enjoyed a great deal of political autonomy (for example there was the Virginia House Burgesses), meaning that they were parts of the English Imperial System. The parliament enacted the Navigation Acts, which regulated trade by directing that all the economic goods be shipped in the English vessels. The laws were reflective of the mercantilism system of economics that stipulated that the colonies mainly existed for the benefits of the colonial powers (Jordan, 2013). The demand of the labor led to the expansion of the slave trade. The number of the salves increased exponentially at the time. The natural increased and forced immigration led to the sheer increase of the number of slaves available for the agricultural activities and the factory actions. As the supply of the indentured workers diminished, the supply of the slaves from Africa increased to various destinations that include Charleston, Rhode Island, and South Carolina. The competition for the slave labor from the Caribbean and Brazil mad the prices of the male salves quite high. The North Americans then responded by buying women and creating slave families. The majority of the slaves lived in the Southern colonies that included Massachusetts, Virginia, and the Carolinas (Breen, 2017).

It is imperative to note that the majority of the colonialists were farmers the colonies formed part of the Atlantic trade the linked England, the West Indians, and Africa, which essentially formed the pattern of commerce commonly referred to as the Triangular Trade. The trade relied heavily on the shipping, particularly on the transatlantic waters. The colonies build a significant number of the ships (Jordan, 2013). The building of the ships was responsible for the creation of other crafts such as sewing of the sails, manufacturing of naval merchandise, and mailing of the lumber. The colonies used the mercantile theory to obtain raw materials form the colonies. The colonialists also placed various restrictions on the finished products. For example, the parliament and serious concerns about the possible competition form the colonies. The parliament then passed laws to limit the levels of export from the colonies.

The social structure saw the indentured servants and the slaves occupying the lowest echelon. The colonial elites comprised of the wealthy merchant from the North and the planters in the south. Mortar and Brick was the hallmark of success or prosperity. The later parts of the 18th century later saw the construction of the various mansions that became the symbols of prestige and prosperity. The planters in South Carolina owned the mansions in Charleston and other places like Newport. In social pursuit and the lifestyle, the southerners copied the English mannerism and the country squire. The urban poor consisted of the unskilled laborers, crewmembers, and the stevedores. It is worth noting that economic recessions were quite common at the time and mostly affected the workers in the urban places. The urban women had a lot of free time since they did not perform eh house chores since the slaves also took up that role. Women had no right to own property. However, the widows and the single women had the right to own property.

The causes of the American Revolution

The first cause of the America Revolution was the intolerable acts. The Boston Port Act, which led to the close of the Boston port, was major cause of concern. Secondly, the Massachusetts Government Act, which put the Massachusetts under the colonial rule did angered many residents due to the barbarism and the utter lack of autonomy. Additionally, the Administration of Justice Act caused a stir by allowing the royal officials to face trial in Britain by the orders of the king (Baynton, 2013). The people also protested against the Quartering Act that forced the colonies to provide lodging for the British soldiers. Finally, the people protested the Quebec Act that allowed for the expansion of the British territory to Canada and permitted the practice of Roman Catholicism in the mentioned territory.

Apart from the intolerable acts, the first continental congress also reinvigorated the revolution. After long deliberation, the Congress came up with the Declaration of Rights and Grievances and sent the document to King George, and hoped that he would grant their demands. The British government still refused to grant the colonists their rights leading to further animosity. The hallmark of the revolution came when the Congress endorsed the resolutions of the Suffolk Reserves. Massachusetts was among the worst hit colonies by the intolerable acts. The Suffolk declaration warned the colonists that the state would not tolerate the imposition of the tax system (Baynton, 2013). Additionally, the Battle of Lexington and Concord also caused deep animosity between the North American Colonies and the colonial government (Jordan, 2013). Finally, the second Continental Congress that declared the need for self-determination and the need to enjoy the rights and privileges further caused animosity between the British government and the local authorities.

The Effects of the Political and the Social Changes on Different Groups

The Native Americans lost their land to the colonialist due to the enactment of various acts by the colonial powers. As mentioned earlier, many of the colonialists were farmers or planters that relied heavily on farming and other agricultural activities as the sources of livelihood (Baynton,, 2013). The urban poor consisted of the unskilled laborers, crewmembers, and the stevedores. The displaced natives moved to the urban areas in search of employment after the colonial government and other rich natives took up their lands. It is worth noting that economic recessions were quite common at the time and mostly affected the workers in the urban places The urban women had a lot of free time since they did not perform eh house chores since the slaves also took up that role. Women had no right to own property. However, the widows and the single women had the right to own property.

The demand of the labor led to the expansion of the slave trade. The number of the salves increased exponentially at the time. The natural increased and forced immigration led to the sheer increase of the number of slaves available for the agricultural activities and the factory actions. As the supply of the indentured workers diminished, the supply of the slaves from Africa increased to various destinations that include Charleston, Rhode Island, and South Carolina. The competition for the slave labor from the Caribbean and Brazil mad the prices of the male salves quite high. The North Americans then responded by buying women and creating slave families. The increase in slavery and the sheer number of African slaves ensured that there was enough labor force to in home chores, meaning that the women left the chores to the laves and got enough free time.

References

Baynton, D. C. (2013). Disability and the justification of inequality in American history. The disability studies reader, 17(33), 57-5.

Breen, T. H. (2017). "Baubles of Britain": the American and consumer revolutions of the eighteenth century. In Colonial America and the Early Republic (pp. 197-228). Routledge.

Jordan, W. D. (2013). White over black: American attitudes toward the Negro, 1550-1812. UNC Press Books.