American ColinizationAmerican ColinizationJazmin Pelayo8/18/06Period 6American ColonizationThere were numerous reasons why the American Colonies were established. Most importantly, many colonies were founded for exclusive religious diversity, to establish a stable and progressive government, and as private corporate enterprises; however, many colonies came to be motivated in origin by economy.
Many colonies were founded for religious purposes. While religion was involved with all of the colonies, Massachusetts, New Haven, Maryland, and Pennsylvania were established exclusively for religious purposes. Colonies were founded upon diverse religions because their primary focus and purpose was to make money or to populate the country. These economically motivated colonies include New York, New Jersey, the Carolinas, and Pennsylvania after its change in toleration.
Government was also important in the founding of English colonies in the New World. With each colony, the government and idea of democracy progressed. With a weak and unpredictable government first established in Virginia, the American colonists gradually advanced to a more democratic government. However, even the most democratic government was unlike the democracy we enjoy today. Their gradual learning experience and progression led to many more instances of attempted improvement, thus leading to more voice from the common people. The furthest developed government, in theory, was that of the Carolinas. . The governor was the head of the government. Directly below him was the upper house nobility, which consisted
of a single noble who had received his salary as public office, and the rest in their own hands, with much of his personal wealth bestowed on the poor. In addition, above the high administration of the state legislature (on which the government had ruled for four centuries), were the people who were responsible for the maintenance of a democratic government as well as for the creation of new laws. To create a functioning government a multitude of legislators should be set up. These representatives, who had been established on a common platform at government’s first meeting (called the legislature) would be elected by the state legislatures and sent to the Governor himself in a single sitting, or by a committee of the whole or a committee of only one or the few who would be represented. . . . If all were good all would have the same powers. The legislature will be led by the head of state, who will elect from among the elected to a list of its members, members of the military, the head of state, and one of the commissioners for the service. These will then set the direction of the government, as well as approve matters, which it receives from the citizens of that kingdom to do, as can be desired. This would be a system in which only local bodies, which have been elected democratically, are to govern as representatives from time to time. . . . . In 1825 this system became more and more common—an aristocratic form of government, for example—and was gradually adopted across the North American continent, becoming the source for a large percentage of the English aristocracy. They were very familiar with this type of government although they had never studied it well, and much more so still because it was more common in the early South of the United States. It was still generally considered as a sort of aristocracy, so to speak, but it gradually became more and more popular as these new forms of government became more common over and over, and the old aristocracy became gradually more and more less popular. In 1826 the Governor-Elect was born. He was chosen by the common people under the supervision of a number of members—one of whom was the chairman. He had been a governor for nearly a hundred years (a little over thirty years) and in that time had presided over a number of state and government bodies, particularly in Virginia. As Governor-Elect, he presided over his own political party, the League for Virginia’s People, and during one election he also administered his own State House and House of Delegates. When Henry V’s Rebellion broke out in North Carolina (during the fourth year of the Reconstruction), and Henry was at the head of the party, he asked the delegates to make an election, and with approval was chosen. When the same election was held for a new House of Representatives, he nominated John Quincy Adams, the first black president of the United States. (Adams held this office for forty years, until the defeat of Andrew Jackson.) He was