Evolution Of Government In 1754-1783

EVOLUTION OF GOVERNMENT in 1754-1783

How did religious persecution in Europe influence colonial attitudes and governments in North America?

The Spanish experience in the New World led other nations to challenge Spain for territory. By the beginning of the 17th century, the Dutch, English, and French had staked claims to parts of North America. Catholic New France, Protestant New Netherlands, and the fledgling English colonies joined New Spain as outposts of the European empire. The Protestant Reformation shook Europe’s oldest institutions. Powerful Protestant movements in France, the Netherlands, and England challenged Catholicism in Europe. Protestants sought to overturn Catholic Spain’s domination of the Western hemisphere. But those countries found little to prosper in North America. By 1700, England was a global giant with 20 colonies and important overseas trade routes. This change occurred during a period of European wars, political and religious turmoil, and long struggles between Parliament and various kings over power. What resulted was a distinct form of constitutionalism resting on parliamentary supremacy and responsible government. Representative government came to be the accepted model for England and the colonies, but the colonies most often placed their representative responsibilities in their local assemblies. England’s upheavals rocked the emerging republic, politically and economically. The disruption of trade cut off some settlements from their regular trade sources, and they sought alternatives. The Dutch often provided the alternative, but this occurred at the expense of the mercantile system the English promoted. In reaction, Parliament passed a series of acts that restricted the trading privileges of the colonies and sought to enrich the mother country.