Types of Colonies free essay sample

English colonies were one of three types of colonies. The first being a joint-stock colony. In this type of colony the king of England would grant a charter to a joint-stock company that would ensure settlers the same rights as Englishmen. Joint-stock colonies were only meant to last a few years. After which, stockholders hoped to earn a profit. Many people were attracted with the promise of gold. The second type was a royal colony. This type of colony was directly controlled by the king. The king appointed a governor and a council which served as an advisory body to the governor. The council had an the upper house of the colonial legislature and the highest court in the colony. The lower house was a bicameral legislature and was elected by property holders who met voting qualifications. Laws passed by the legislature had to be approved by the king. Finally, was the proprietary colony. A Proprietary Colony is a colony in which the king gave land to people called proprietors. Most of these colonies are run under a charter agreement. Private land owners picked governors to rule the colonies. Governors then chose a council and colonist elected representatives to an assembly. This type of colony resembled feudalism. The plantation colonies included Maryland, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia. They were financed by the English crown and made proprietary colonies except for Virginia which was financed through the Virginia Company and was a joint-stock colony. The colonies were founded for different reasons. Virginia was founded in search of gold. North and South Carolina was founded to grow foodstuffs and to export non-English products. Maryland was founded for religious freedom. Georgia was founded to be a buffer against Spanish expansion from Florida and to be a haven for people in debt and prisoners of England. The plantation colonies exported agricultural products such as the cash crops indigo, tobacco, and rice. These colonies were dependent on the labor of indentured servants at first but by the seventeenth century black slaves became the source of labor. The enormous plantations were owned by few and they had an aristocratic attitude. They did have a form of democratic self-government however the rich plantation owners controlled the government because they were the only people who could afford to pay for all their own expenses. The plantation colonies did allow for some religious toleration. There wasnt much opportunity for social and political mobility. Education was much sparser in the plantation colonies than the others colonies. New England colonies included New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. These colonies were financed by joint-stock companies although Rhode Island had started out as a squatter colony. All of the New England colonies were founded mainly for religious freedom. Because of limited farm land, new englanders had to find a different source of income. New Englands colonies offered fish, furs, and ships to England. A mercantile network made them a part of the triangle trade. Trade became the cornerstone of colony’s economy. New England had a provincial government. In this government freeman (adult males who belonged to the puritan congregations) were the only people allowed to vote in provincial elections. This was about two-fifths of the adult male population. However all male property holders were allowed to discuss and vote on town government issues. New England was the less ethnically mixed than the southern colonies because of its stony soil. However, the clean water and cool temperatures lessened the spread of germs and added ten years to the life span of settlers migrating from the old world. This contributed to family stability and in turn gave new englanders a strong, tranquil social structure. Opportunity for social and political mobility was available to most men willing to work for it. Education was extremely important in New England, towns with more than fifty families were required to provide elementary education. A majority of adults knew how to read and write and only eight years after founding Massachusetts, Puritans established Harvard College. The middle colonies included New York, Pennsylvania , New Jersey, and Delaware . New York, New Jersey, and Delaware were all originally founded by the Dutch to make a quick profit in the fur trade and were financed by the Dutch West India Company until 1644 when England took over. Pennsylvania however, was founded by William Penn, a Quaker. His reason for founding Pennsylvania was to be a haven for religious liberties and other Quakers . He secured a charter from the king in lieu of the debt still owed to his father. The middle colonies werent as aristocratic as New England nd the plantation colonies because land holdings were intermediate in size, with the exception of New York. The middle colonies were more ethnically diverse than the other colonies and the most religiously tolerant. Very few class distinctions existed because of the large middle class. The middle colonies government was a combination of the New England and south government. They had modified both the county govern ment and the town-meeting government into one. People had much democratic control and men could vote if they owned property. Social and political mobility was greater in the middle colonies because desirable land was more easily acquired. Their soil was very fertile and they became known as the bread colonies for exports of grain. However, the middle colonies did not limit themselves to just farming as an income and also traded. Their three main rivers ,the Susquehanna , the Delaware , and the Hudson, all allowed them access to the fur trade. They also had some industry , such as ship building thanks to their excellent harbors and rivers. Colonial leaders agreed that education was important but did not provide it like New England. The decision to educate children was left to the families until 1683, when a Pennsylvania law was passed, requiring that all children be taught to read and write and be trained in a useful trade. In conclusion, all three colonies had many similarities and differences. All of the colonies were almost entirely English and had British freedoms. All were under a mercantile economy until the revolution. To some degree all had religious toleration and a self-government. All of them also gave new settlers the opportunity to make money and climb the social ladder, although it was harder in some colonies than others. All of the colonies eventually were made into royal colonies with the exception of Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. Almost every colony utilized a two-house legislative body. Although very alike the colonies also had many differences. Plantation colonies were very spread out and depended on slavery for income. They were the most aristocratic, had a scattered population and only some religious toleration. Social and political mobility was much harder in the plantation colonies and government was controlled by wealthy land owners. The New England colonist were mostly puritan and werent as religiously tolerant as the other colonies. They also had more industry instead of farming because of less available farm land. They were mainly known for their ship building and fishing. New England stressed education and held town meetings often to vote on local issues. The middle colonies were the most ethnically diverse, religiously tolerant, and democratic of the colonies except for aristocratic New York. They were a mix of the plantation colonies and New England in almost everything. There was little class distinctions and a large middle class. Money could be made not only in farming but in industry too.