Colonial America
The American colonists came from a variety of backgrounds. There were the English, who were running away from religious persecution, the Dutch, who reputedly bought Manhattan for a string of beads. The French Huguenots, who were Protestants fleeing from prosecution in a Catholic country. The Quakers, fleeing from harrassments of the Anglican establishment, the church of England, and Germans from innumerable principalities, fleeing military draft and the various exaction's of the petty princes. Also the Irish population, who fled Ireland because of famine and corrupt and over-charging landlords. Most of these immigrant people came to America with nothing but hope in their pockets. What they set out to do was make a respectable life for themselves and their families, without the dictatorship of a monarchy or the iron fist of religion looming over them. What they would find was hardship and an even tougher life than in their homeland. The main problem with expansion in the colonies was that the Native Americans occupied the land that the "Americans" wanted. The natives would not allow the new settlers to push farther inland on their land, thus causing conflict between the colonists
The idea of tolerance in the colonies was first decided upon for people who were facing religious persecution and harassment. Originally, when the people came to this country, they had to obey the Trinity, as said by the legislature to be the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. If a person was a religious dissenter, there was a good chance that they would either be put on trial or be banished for life from their colony. He had originally expected to procure the land for his and his friends' own profit. They were usually sold into slavery and brought to the southern colonies, where they worked for a white master. The people wanted to worship their own God. These Africans were treated very harshly and were often beaten senselessly for no reason after working fifteen-hour days for their "masters". He was soon banished from Massachusetts and later founded Rhode Island. The churches were generally supported by taxes paid by the colonists, whether they worshiped this religion or not. Woman lacked the right to sell, acquire, or will property to another person. After the new settlers had beaten the various Indian tribes in battle, they would take the Indian land and disperse it amongst the settlers for each colony. Women, as we know were not given many of the same rights that men were given until the late eighteen and early nineteen hundreds. Each colony had a governor, a council (appointed by the governor), and an elected representative with lawmaking and taxing powers. This was true of all English colonies.
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Acceptance Essays
