Colonial History of the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Colonial History of the United States - Essay Example Each of the groups was very different from each other and came to settle here for a variety of reasons which included both religious and social aspects. They contributed ideas based on government, religion, family, gender and different occupations. Every colony had its own ‘distinct social, religious, political and economic structures’. During the period of Reconquista, both Spain and Portugal gained a lot of experience in conquests and as well as colonization. In addition to this, their skills at ship navigation served as tools to help them colonize the New World. During the 15th century, the leaders who ruled the European nations were the New Monarchs who strived hard to unify their nations. They created a strong and stable centralized government which made way for a burst of economic growth in Europe. This government brought about many good changes which included limiting the power created by the Feudal Aristocracy. Though a charter granted the rights of Englishmen to its subjects, yet they were not allowed to take an active part in their own government. A few years later, Sir Edwin Sandy brought about a radical change in the government by granting the colonists a share in its government which was ‘the first representative body in America’, (See Moreys "Genesis of a Written Constitution," Annals of American Academy, Vol. I p. 529 sq.) called the House of Burgesses. In society, gender differences were maintained. Both men and women worked alongside each other, but in their homes, women had to be subordinate to the authority exercised by their husbands following the patriarchal system of the family. The man was considered as the head of the family and he is the one who took all the major decisions where his family was concerned.