British Colonization of North America

This essay discusses the causes and impacts of British colonization in North America, comparing it with Australia. It explores the social, economic, and cultural effects of colonization on the indigenous people and the environment.

Running head: BRITISH COLONIZATION OF NORTH AMERICA
British Colonization of North America
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Colonization is a long process, and many things are needed to be addressed in this scenario.
Through many centuries and decades, colonization has always been taken up as a social evil as it
has destroyed millions of lives. This process of colonization has taken place in many parts and
continents of the world. The British Empire has always dominated the colonization process than
the other European process (King 2015). The European colonization on the North American
continent will be discussed in this essay. The European countries have always been very much
powerful, and they have exercised their powers on the other countries over many centuries. They
have colonized many countries in Asia, and also reigned supreme in Australia and went to North
America to continue their journey for supremacy. The causes and impacts of the British
colonization in North America will be highlighted and it will be compared and contrasted with
that of Australia as well.
In this essay, the causes of the British colonization of North America will be discussed
and the impacts will be addressed as well. Critics have revealed the British powers have always
reigned over their colonized countries for many powers. The struggle for freedom has gone on
for several years (King 2015). British colonial power was able to establish their colony in
America and Canada within the boundaries of North America. Therefore, they were able to
conquer these two countries and make their presence felt predominantly (McCusker and Menard
2014). The rapid increase of the colonization has always been a great concern for the people of
North America. They have looked at this issue as a blow to their freedom and interfering in their
cultures (Bayly 2016). This is why the people of the North America have always tried to
overcome from the grasp of imperialism and colonialism of the British people. This British
bondage in North America was very torturous and many people lost their lives as well. This is

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entirely similar to the fact that it happened to the Australians. The Australian people also have
been tortured and murdered violently by the British rulers over the times.
Sir Walter Raleigh did the beginning of this colonialism process. This was done in the
latter part of the 16th century. Just like the supreme reign established by the East India Company
in India, the colonial activity in the United States was begun by London Virginia Company. The
historians have opined that the very first settlements in USA took place in the year 1607 at
Jamestown (King 2015). After that the Puritans had formed the Massachusetts Bay Colony in
1629. In this context, the history of the London Virginia Company should be discussed. It is
mainly the British joint-stock business. This business company had been formed by the power of
the Royal Charter and James I of England in 1606 (Steinman 2016). So, they turned in the USA
as businessmen and transformed themselves as the rulers of the country in the later periods.
Perhaps, the voyage by Columbus was famous for their urge in the renewed search of the new
lands across the world. Mass migration of the British people was mainly the reason for this kind
of colonization (McCusker and Menard 2014). This had severe socioeconomic, political and
cultural impacts on the colonized countries. Mutual transactions of culture took place, and this
included the clothing patterns, food habits, speaking and many others. Britain began to extract
the wealth from the different continents like land-appropriation, mass-migration and others
(Kulikoff 2014).
Critics think that the most significant blow had been faced by the indigenous societies in
these colonized countries (Kulikoff 2014). The comparisons should be made between the cases
of North America and Australia to find out the impacts of colonialism. The British people
realized that the most significant barriers for their conquest over these lands could only be the
indigenous people of the countries (Bayly 2016). The Torres and Strait islanders have been

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suffering from traumatic disorders because of the tortures imposed on them. So, they were
deprived of all sorts of facilities like health and education (McCusker and Menard 2014).
Likewise, the British colonizers wanted to set up the new socioeconomic system in the new
territory, i.e. the North American countries (Egerton 2018). The Canadian aboriginals had been
tortured very badly, and they could not live their healthy life because of the interference from the
British. The main motive of this colonialism was surely traded systems. British rulers knew that
they would gain tremendous benefits if they could expand in these sections of the world (Bayly
2016). There were vast natural resources, and this catered to the rise of their economic resources
as well. The historians believe this is why the British rulers wanted to set up the new rules in
those lands. This would help them to gain the overall command on the people of these territories
(McFarlane 2014).
The most significant factor to be highlighted by the critics is the practice of slavery by the
British rulers (McCusker and Menard 2014). The British rulers always wanted to have the
ultimate dominance and control the whereabouts of all the people in their colonies. Europeans,
especially British people, wanted to set up the new sociopolitical system in the United States
(Mamdani 2015). They were keen to set up new business industries there as well. To do this,
they needed the support of the labors. The only option open to them was to gain the help from
the Native Americans and Canadians (Kulikoff 2014). They took them as slaves and made them
captive. It was done because they wanted to make sure these people could be controlled only by
them. At the beginning, they did not like the concept of slavery. Rather, they were in favor of
using servant labor. However, they used the practice of slavery as well. The British colonialists
sold their products in United States and spread their control over their business affairs as well.
Though they went to America searching for riches, gold and spices, they found the public land

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areas in these regions and explored the lifestyles of their native people as well (McFarlane 2014).
This helped them to assess that they could get richer by so much treasure and availability of
workforce.
The European powers have sometimes been involved in the conflicts regarding
possession in North America. Historians have revealed the fact that England and France often
used to contradict each other in the several wars regarding North America. There was also a very
tough competition between Spain and England for North America as well. Both these countries
used to claim their territories, and they set up their colonies within a very short distance. A
fundamental reason for British colonizers to set up their colony in North America was because of
the availability of the raw materials (McFarlane 2014). Apart from that, they considered North
America to be a massive market for the goods produced in England. So, they would very great
financial benefits from North America. The growth of colonization began to increase during the
16th and 17th centuries during this time. So, there was a massive opportunity for the British that
they would slowly grab control over this entire land (Egerton 2018). The indigenous people
could not live happily because their freedom and rights had been in jeopardy.
Another reason for the colonial settlement in North America by the British was entirely
religious. People in England wanted to gain religious freedom. This is why they went to the
countries in North America and preach their religious ideals. At least they were now free from
being punished and persecuted. The priests were sent to North America from England with the
purpose of religious conversion (Lenman 2014). They wanted to convert the North American
people to Christianity. This was a kind of torture as well. The indigenous people were forcefully
christened without their consent. So, this was another unethical practice as well. However, one
good point in the colonization of North America was the ethnic diversity (Hinton, Woolford. and

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Benvenuto 2014). Several people moved to the British colonies in search of work, and there was
much ethnic diversity in this context. Multiculturalism began to flourish in America, i.e. the main
essence of this country till today (Dickinson 2014). In this regard, it will be essential to note the
fact that ethnic diversity opened the doors for the new trade deals for America with other
countries of the world in the future years. By the end of 1775, the number of British colonies
began to grow. Primarily, the number of British colonies in America was only one at Jamestown
in Virginia. During 1775, around thirteen colonies were under the British rule in the country
(Baugh and Baugh 2014).
These British colonizers tried genuinely to convert the Native Americans into
Catholicism. British power also began to build up several military buildings (Lenman 2014).
Their only purpose was to protect the premises from the other European settlers and the wrath of
the Native Americans. They held many vast spread lands in the modern-day United States of
America. Many people from their country moved into their settlements (Laidlaw and Lester
2015). However, critics have opined that the treatment of the British colonizers towards some
native tribes could not be supported. They even killed many people of this tribe as well. The
primary aim of these people was the increase in their national wealth (Baugh and Baugh 2014).
They opened up a consumer market for their goods that was not present previously. Historians
have also accounted for the factor that many colonists from Britain married the girls of the
American tribes. On the contrast, so much market opportunities were not created in Australia
since the British were the only colonizing power over there. Here in North America, the conflicts
between Britain, France and Spain opened up the competition, and British colonizers gave more
time to strengthen their hold on North America (Porter 2016).

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The environmental impacts and severe health issues could be found in terms of
colonization in North America by the British people. The existing ecosystems had been
destroyed because of the colonization effects in this region. New organisms had been
implemented in these regions (Dickinson 2014). The British colonizers also brought in several
diseases with them that were not prevalent in the American region because of the geographic
reasons (MacQueen 2014). As a result, people in America began to suffer from these diseases as
well. These diseases had destroyed the Native American people. The British colonizers also
brought pigs with them that they let out in the wildlands. These pigs ate up the trees and deer
were left unfed (Knorr 2019). The Native Americans felt the scarcity of animals in the wild lands
because they used to hunt these creatures down for their food. Other than that, British people
taught the Native Americans about the private ownership of their properties that were not known
to them previously (MacQueen 2014). The colonizers from Britain also invented the fences and
erected the lands that were used for the demarcation of the lands. Diseases like smallpox also had
been introduced by the British colonizers into North America as the historians have revealed in
their accounts.
On a concluding note, it can be said that the British colonization in the North America
has both positive and negative points. These points should be treated with much regard, so the
actual scenario can be understood. Many bad things happened to the Native American people in
the region. They had been tortured and dismantled completely. Their lands had been taken away,
and they were violently killed. Therefore, it was utterly devastation in terms of the Native
American people. The spread of the Catholicism was also a purpose for the British colonizers to
move to North America. However, the influence of the multiculturalism and spread of different
industries is a very crucial thing for the improvement of this region in future times.

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References List
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America. Duke University Press.
King, A.D., 2015. Urbanism, colonialism, and the world-economy. Routledge.
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