Tri-Colonial Development: Mercantilism & Indenture Servitude - Essay Sample

Introduction

Before the arrival of white colonists, America was a place for new beginnings. Three groups of colonies sailed in the Atlantic from England. The growth of these three groups knows as new, middle, and Southern England colonies grew differently. This essay will examine the development of three set of colonies and how they tried to boost their economic level through adoption of Indenture servitude and mercantilism system.Reason for the Region of New England, Middle and Southern Developing Differently

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The New England colonies were the first emigrants' group which was comprised of a small group. After ten years, a company known as Massachusetts Bay sent liberal and large Puritans to establish another settlement of Massachusetts. The colonists later got the hang of hunting, farming, and fishing which led to the Massachusetts prosperity. Middle Colonies development was contributed by King Charles II who gave out the New England, and Virginia territory to his brother James The King then gave the land of 45000 square miles to William Penn. Lured by Religious toleration and fertile soil that Penn promised the people led to migration from all over Europe. The Southern colonies planters presided over estates which produced pork and beef, rice, lumber, and corn. (Cummings 39).These colonies had a close ties with English planter colony which relied on African labor slave. Lone urban area and extensive agriculture necessitated demand for unskilled labor.

Reasons the British Used Indentured Servitude in Early Years Colonies

The Virginia Company developed the system of indentured servitude to attract a lot of workers, where the servants became vital to the economy. Generally, the idea of indentured servitude was developed due to the need for cheap labor. The England colonists realized that their huge land needed care and their labor wasn't enough. Labor market shift was also a contributing factor that led to British adopting the indentured servitude. The European demand for tobacco led to the economic boom in the region of Chesapeake. After the Chesapeake farmers failure to capture Native Americans who were affected by the disease while others escaped, the landowners turned to the system of indentured servants. (Indentured Servitude 1).

The Reason Why the Indentured Servitudes Was Replaced by Slavery in the Early English Colonies

The replacement of indentured servants by Slaves was due to the advantages that slaves offered to the planters. The slaves were regarded as docile, where they worked for free. The slaves worked for life; thus, they wouldn't compete in the tobacco market with their masters. The move to replace these indentured servants was motivated by other factors that include: diminishing servants who came to Chesapeake colonies. Moreover, in the mid 17th Century, although a huge number of England people was improving in a way that there were more jobs and more prospects to own land for a lot of servants. (Grigg 23).The servants opted to stay at home, thus creating a labor shortage that was to be filled by African slave labor.

Reasons Why Mercantilism Was Not Enforced and What Caused It to Become Enforced in the Colonies

Mercantilism was a system where the government-controlled state's economic affair to promote national strength, payment of military power, and to provide individual self-sufficiency. For Britain, colonizing America required an increased base of wealth to maintain the profit. Mercantilism was not enforced in American colonies because England was not content on allowing for trade development. Instead, they passed a law that governed the flow of goods on the Atlantic. (Ladenburg 1) Mercantilists argued that wars were worth the price as every colony would help to conquer. There was a demand for raw material, and the British manufacturers also needed a market. Americans also supported this by buying their products. Moreover, their survival depended on the navy; thus, Britain's balance of trade was said to be unfavorable because the colonists purchased more than they sold.

Conclusion

In conclusion, America discovery was unleashed with horror where Europeans contributed to the debauching path of destruction and deaths which unleashed greed, murder, and slavery. (Locke, and Wright 23). The effect of this greed was evident in adoption of mercantilism system, and indentured servitude on England's economy took several factors the main one being, improved economy. Example: Indenture servitude resulted in labor mobility that led to improved production of sugar, tobacco, and indigo. Thus there was increase in export productions to Europe. Indenture servitude and mercantilism has had an impact on the current world as it has been associated with the current racism that is being witnessed.

Works Cited

Cummings, Stephen D. The Dixification Of America. Westport: Praeger, 1998. Print.Grigg, John A. British Colonial America: People And Perspectives. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2008. Print.

Indentured Servitude". Wscschools.Org, 2019, https://www.wscschools.org/cms/lib/NY02205793/Centricity/Domain/1235/Origins%20of%20%20Slavery.pdf. Accessed 22 Sept 2019.

Ladenburg, Thomas. British Mercantilism And The Cost Of Empire. 2007, p. 1, http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/teachers/lesson_plans/pdfs/unit1_4.pdf. Accessed 22 Sept 2019.

Locke, Joseph, and Ben Wright. The American Yawp. 1st ed., Stanford University Press, 2019, p. 23, http://www.americanyawp.com/text/wp-content/uploads/Locke_American-Yawp_V2.pdf. Accessed 23 Sept 2019.