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British colonization differs greatly from that of their Europeans rivals: the Spanish, the French, and the Dutch. The differences between Europe colonization and their European rivals include the motivation for colonists to travel to the New World, and the structure of the government in colonies. Despite their many differences, British colonization also resembles their European rivals’ colonization in many ways, with social structure being the most prominent and important.
Motivations for British colonists to come to the New World were mostly push factors; colonists wanted to leave England because of the economic disparity and religious intolerance of the time (Lauter 136-137). Britain’s European rivals, however, were motivated primarily by pull factors, such as the search for gold and resources, and the establishment of faster trade routes. The Spanish used the colonies predominantly to exploit resources using the labor of Native Americans and African slaves (Lauter 46-47), the French were looking to establish a northwestern trade route to compete with Portugal and Spain (Lauter 100-101), and the Dutch wanted to use the colonies to trade and to liberate natives from Spanish Catholicism (Age of Exploration PowerPoint). Ultimately, the greatest difference between British colonization and their rivals is that British colonization was driven by the colonists’ desire to leave their country, whereas other European colonies were driven by colonists’ desire to help their country expand and gain resources.
Government among the many colonies also varied greatly. In British colonies, government was originally structured in an informal theocratic way, with church leaders also acting as leaders of the state. This later evolved into a more formal democratic structure, as exemplified by the establishment of the House of Burgess and the writing of the Mayflower Compact. While the House of Burgess and the Mayflower Compact are not truly democratic, they were the first signs of democracy among colonial America.
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In the French and Spanish colonies, their respective monarchies kept a strict rule on their colonies, and religious leaders and royal appointees shared power over the government (Lauter 46-47 and 100-101). The Dutch, unlike all other European colonies, wanted to use a small portion of land for trade, did not desire to establish large settlements and therefore did not require as much governing (Age of Exploration PowerPoint). The way government differs between the colonies plays a key role in relations between the colonies and their mother countries, the British colonies’ eventual independence, and therefore the development of the United States.
While the social structure among European colonies did vary, the same basic principles were true among every colony: colored slaves were at the bottom of the social structure, indentured servants and other white laborers were slightly above slaves, property-owning whites were above slaves and servants, and religious leaders and government officials were at the top of the social structure (Hoffman 39).
Spanish colonies had a large mestizo population that complicated its social structure, and the Dutch colonies lacked a sophisticated social structure because of its small size, but both still followed these basic principles. This is the most significant commonality among the colonies, as it illustrates the creation of race-based slavery and how it breaks up the social structure, explains the conflict between church and state over power, and is the basis of social structure that develops later on in American culture.
The comparison of British colonization and their European rivals is essential to understanding the future of American History and American identity because they show the current generation how America developed and why the British colonies survived over their competitors. Social issues in present-day America evolved from the social structure that developed in its colonies; racism evolved from race-based slavery, and the top of the social structure still consists mainly of property-owning white males. Additionally, the motivators of British colonists foreshadows the colonies’ success and later independence, as it was always the goal of British colonists to separate from England. Important similarities and differences between the British colonies and their rival European colonies have clearly shaped the way America is today.
Works Cited
- Brandon, Michael, and Nicole Sarrocco. The Age of Exploration. Durham, NC: PowerPoint, 2016. Web.
- Cobbs, Hoffman, and Gjerde. Major Problems in American History. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2007. Print.
- Lauter, et. al. The Heath Anthology of American Literature: Concise Edition. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2004. Print.
