North american colonization process in retrospect essay

The history of the United States is rather convoluted and filled with ethnic and social conflicts. Built by explorers and people seeking for economic profits, it incorporates both the signs of a long struggle for survival and the stigma of ethnic and racial conflicts. To resolve contemporary social conflicts, American society needs to take retrospect on the process of its foundation.

When considering the reasons for the colonization of North America to occur, one must mention the fact that the confrontations with Spain were the primary driving force behind the financial growth of a certain social group in Great Britain. Therefore, the colonization was viewed as one of the alternatives to warfare.

The Spanish colonists, in their turn, were motivated by economic growth extensively as well. However, apart from the promotion of economic growth, the Spanish colonists also pursued religious goals. Particularly, converting the local population to Christianity was viewed as one of the main objectives.

The lack of supervision over the economic and political choices that the settlers made in the colonies led to the profit-based choices being the leitmotif of the strategies used by the settlers. Specifically, “ the weak government, the market for tobacco, the availability of land, and the need for labor” (Oakes, McGerr, and Lewis “ Chapter 3: The English Come to Stay” 68) were the primary driving forces behind the decisions made by them. It could be argued that the phenomenon of slavery emerged as a result of the lack of restraint from the British government as far as the settlers’ actions were concerned. The lack of labor force could also be viewed as the prerequisite for slavery to occur, tarnishing the history of North America and leading to one of the greatest injustices in the world history.

However, historians argue that Chesapeake, which was one of the first colonies to become the basis for the American society, did not use slavery as such. Nevertheless, the further degree of the Maryland Assembly made slavery the foundation of relationships between the European descendants and the African American population (Oakes et al. “ Chapter 3: The English Come to Stay” 71).

One must admit that, although a significant amount of time has passed since the first North American colonies emerged, a range of features of the contemporary social relationships and standards are linked to the era of the colonies, as the interview with Fisher and its essential ideas show (Wyatt-Brown 59). For instance, the British heritage can be easily traced in the traditions of New England, where the crucial principles of the Christian religion became the foundation for the relationships between the members of the society (Oakes, McGerr, and Lewis “ Chapter 4: New Colonies, New Patterns” 93). Similarly, the challenges in the relationships between the African American community and the descendants of the European colonists can be viewed as the direct effect of the principles on which the first North American society was built. Therefore, to move forward and attain new and higher stages of progress, the residents of the United States must inspect the factors that determined the issues faced currently in the communication process (Oakes, McGerr, and Lewis “ Chapter 2: Colonial Outposts” 56).

By considering the ideas and principles that it was founded on, the American society will be able to address some of its most complicated ethnic and racial issues successfully. Built by British descendants and influenced by Spanish colonists significantly, the U. S. society needs to reevaluate its history and understand whether it needs the values on which it was based. Once drawing a line between traditions and prejudices, the American people will be ready to address some of the most difficult social issues.

Oakes, James, Michael McGerr, and Jan Ellen Lewis “ Chapter 2: Colonial Outposts.” Of the People : A History of the United States, to 1877. Oxford: OUP.

“ Chapter 3: The English Come to Stay.” Of the People : A History of the United States, to 1877. Oxford: OUP.

“ Chapter 4: New Colonies, New Patterns.” Of the People : A History of the United States, to 1877. Oxford: OUP.

Wyatt-Brown, Bertram. “ How British Are You?” American Heritage 41. 7 (1990): 59. Print.