Essay Title:

Why were the British successful in colonizing America?

Mentor: Vincent Mosby

Candidate: Eva Kjurchijevska

Skopje, 21.12.2020
 One of the most dramatic historical periods often analyzed in the literature is the British
Colonization of America or the so-called 13 British colonies founded between the 17th and early
18th centuries. The position of these 13 colonies stretched mainly on the Atlantic coast and to the
western areas.

At the beginning of the 17th century, three European countries emerged as the most
influential players seeking to colonize America, namely France, Spain and England. In general,
Spanish policy was aimed at South America and the Caribbean and Mexico. France has been
rocked by wars with other countries and internal religious strife, and this fact did not allow them
serious access to the new American continent. While Britain, despite initial failures with guides
Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Sir Walter Raleigh, managed to position itself firmly in the areas
around the Atlantic, in the territories of today's United States territories, forming a total of 13
colonies.

There are a number of motives behind the British colonization, but generally, three of
them have a starting point. They are: political, religious and economic. In the 1600s, the fields in
Britain faced infertility, but also the growth of sheep breeding that further occupied and
destroyed the fertile land. There was a growing need for quality and varied food, due to the rising
standard of living, which in turn has contributed to rising prices. Many young people were losing
patience for the difficult life imposed by Britain and see the opportunity on the American
continent. Especially young married couples with a dozen children. But many high-class young
Britans were also seeing the economic benefits of the American continent and were strategically
seeking to transfer some of their wealth and power there.

The British colonization of America mainly began in 1606 when King James I of
England granted grants to the Plymouth Company and the London Company for the
establishment of permanent settlements in North America. Such grants were strategically
determined according to the approach of British colonization at the time. The award of the
northern parts to the Plymouth Company proves unsuccessful because the colonists face battles
with the indigenous people. While the London Company in the South formed the first successful
colony in America in Jamestown in 1907. In the beginning, the colony in Jamestown faced
significant crises caused by mortality due to disease, famine, wars with the Indians. This
catastrophe in colonization is overcome for only one reason, and that is tobacco and its

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profitability. In fact, the success of growing tobacco was the reason for the strengthening of the
first colony of Virginia.

While the key to Virginia's economic success was tobacco, both political and legal
segments stand out. Such as the two new charters, i.e. grants in 1609 and 1612, which
determined a wide belt of 640 km along the length of the American continent. But especially
important were the rights that the company Virginia received from the government, i.e. to
appoint a resident governor, resident council and officials. In this context, the old system of
shareholder management of land and trade has been replaced by private land ownership and
shops. State control was strengthened by the arrival of Sir Thomas Dale with three ships and 300
colonists in Virginia, whose goal was to establish state control over land and tobacco production.

The failure to colonize the Plymouth Company, on the other hand, was gaining religious
attention through a group of separatists who believed that the Bible establishes the only true
religion. In fact, the Puritans set up a colony in Plymouth in order to freely establish their own
Protestant faith, in partnership with a group of merchants and businessmen seeking to finance the
venture. After ten years, they managed to separate the property and privatize it, as well as to
establish companies. Their success was based on trade in products and raw materials, mainly
grown by indigenous peoples (Green, 1988).

The development of the British colonies in Virginia and New England by the Puritans
indicated strong autonomy, so the British government established a new strategic direction by
establishing a legislature in two parts, on the one hand, the governor and councilors, on the other
the representatives of the colonies. The goal was to establish a successful political balance. In
terms of land policy, in Virginia and New England decisions were made on the basis of group
decision-making. Such governance was based on decision-making regarding new land allotted to
settlers, through the establishment of rules, practices, distributions, urban planning and taxation,
which was characteristic of New England. While in Virginia, colonists were strategically
spreading in river areas due to the growing need for arable tobacco soil.

Contrary to Britain's successful strategic management of American colonization, the

Dutch applied the expansion of their American colony, or so-called New Amsterdam, by giving
land to each patron who would bring in 50 families and direct them to work for him. This

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contributed to the development of feudalism, i.e. several powerful families that created enormous
power and wealth. The dissatisfaction of small farmers with this approach allowed the formation
of small farms and allowed intermingling with the Puritans. Contrary to initial strategies, New
Amsterdam became a place full of smugglers, unruly owners, taverns and sailors. This act is used
by Britain, which takes over the territories of New Amsterdam without war. Their successful
strategic approach again consisted of a semi-liberal way of governing. Charles II appointed his
brother to establish the well-known system by allowing the Dutch people to preserve their lands,
their language and their religion.

The establishment of colonies where people regardless of race, nationality, political and
religious beliefs enjoy their freedom are the foundation of the success of the British colonies in
America. Such a system was deeply entrenched by Sir William Penn, who, with the king's
permission, established a system of a colony in Pennsylvania in which newly arrived farmers
acquired 50 acres of land, and larger farms with lower rents. Additionally establishing a
government with council and laws. This approach resulted in a high degree of development in
Pennsylvania, where people enjoyed a systemic arrangement and cities developed into ultra-
modern centers.

The development of the colonies in the area of South Carolina was also significant, which
were colonized by the big owners on the system of royal grants from Charles II. However, some
segments were different in the colonization of these plots. Numerous immigrants from Scotland,
England, France, etc., were mainly engaged in the export of food products to India and
turpentine, tar and fur to Europe. With the start of producing Orziz from Madagascar, the people
of these colonies were making significant profits, which has further boosted the number of
settlers and urban development. The success of these colonies was greatly enhanced by the
establishment of a government, council, and assembly.

Georgia, on the other hand, as the last of Britain's 13 colonies, was created by a group of
British philanthropists, giving them a new life to debtors and deserving poor. Their voluntary
settlement was severely restricted, so slaves were banned, the given land was small to them, and
the alcohol trade was banned. This led to the slow development of this colony, but with the
approach to gradual liberalization, it manages to develop in a contemporary context (Kulikoff,
2000).

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 In British-colonized America, the main problem was labor shortages. It became
especially difficult for all farmers, stockbreeders, shopkeepers to find and hire workers, primarily
due to the availability of land and the aspiration of people to establish their own farms. The
solution to this problem was seen in the engagement of young Europeans, who, as lawbreakers in
their home countries, crossed into America in order to repay their freedom with work in the New
World. In fact, they were servants before they were released.

Although initially, the hiring of workers from Europe made a significant contribution, it
became an increasingly unprofitable process economically, as their legal protection was
economically unprofitable in relation to hiring slaves from Africa.

The British colonies in America are continuously growing and developing due to the
innovative economic regulations, in terms of trade, navigation, systematization of the
administration, but partly also with the struggles with France for power and dominance. Social
and cultural development also had a particularly significant contribution to the development of
the colonies. Areas were created in which the modern way of arranging began to create the first
needs and ideologies for independence. In general, success in the context of the British colonies
is based on today's modern principles of multi-ethnicity and multi-culture and religion,
innovative social, political, economic and educational regulations. The black mark of British
colonization of America is slavery, their inhuman exploitation and torture. However, the
development of the British colonies is controversial in terms of modern history, and remains a
topic of study for the present and the future, in terms of perceiving the effects and disadvantages
(McCuster and Russell, 1991).

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References

Green Jack (1988). Pursuits of Happiness: The Social Development of Early Modern British
Colonies and the Formation of American Culture. The University of North Carolina Press,
Chapel Hill, London.
Kulikoff Allan (2000). From British Peasants to Colonial American Farmers. The University of
North Carolina Press, USA.
McCuster John and Menard Russell (1991). The economy of British America, 1607-1789, with
supplementary bibliography. University of North Carolina Press, USA.