Shaping Colonial America Essay - 887 Words

Many different things affected the shaping of colonial America in the new world. Factors such as colonialism, geography, and religion affected the way North America was formed and dictated how other people look at colonial America. Colonialism affected America’s demographic and also the ease of forming colonies in the new world. Geography also played a roll in shaping the identity of America. Geography affected where people settled based on the layout of rivers, ocean, and waterways. People also settled in places where they could grow crops. Geography also attracted colonists. Finally, religion affected the forming of colonial America. People were driven from England because of religion. Also, religion affected where people settled down.†¦show more content†¦Boston, which at that time was called Shawmut, was settled on a peninsula that jutted out into the bay. People also settled along water for military reasons. Take for example, Jamestown, Virginia, which was settle d some 60 miles up the James River, on a peninsula. Here there was a good view up and down the river, which made it easy to defend attacks by land or water. New Amsterdam, which is present day New York, was another colony that settled on the waterfront for military reasons. New Amsterdam settled on a island, which is present day Manhattan, with a good view in all directions. This made it easy to defend. Even more colonies were settled along water in colonial America. In the 17th century, several European countries founded settlements along the St. Lawrence River. The waterways were also a major reason why France and England originally came to North America. Two dreams originally attracted France and England to North America; kingdoms rich with gold, and a water route to Asia. All in all, rivers and oceans played a major role in the settling of America. Without them, the United States would look much different today. The ability to grow crops also helped shape the identity of America. The crops in America were able to feed large numbers of people, which attracted colonists. (Eventually, these crops were introduced worldwide, which was part of the reason the world’s population quadrupled in the next three hundred years.)Show MoreRelatedOver The Years Many Historians Have Just Glazed Over The1237 Words   |  5 PagesOver the years many historians have just glazed over the African’s role in the settlement and shaping of the colonial era of America. The Africans are usually only identified as the primary enslaved labor force used to settle the colonies, but not much more is said about the details of how the Africans shaped the colonies. Many individuals only read or hear about major events such as the Stono Rebellion, when the first slaves arrived, or how slaves were treated. When settlers in Barbados began toRead More Capitalism Was Behind American Colonization of Puerto Rico Essay15 59 Words   |  7 Pagesdeclared their independence, because the weight of Great Britain’s colonial restrictions proved to be too burdensome. The Constitution was signed shortly thereafter to protect American citizen’s rights from being abridged in the future. America was created as a direct response to the harmful nature of colonialism, however it soon forgot its idealistic birth. Freedom for all became a free for all, under America’s capitalistic system. When America was confronted with the question of what it should do withRead MoreComparing Colonial Virginia and Colonial New Englands Effect on American Character 651 Words   |  3 PagesI believe colonial New England had more of an effect on the American character than Virginia for several reasons. First they promoted more of the values that have transcended into modern day America such as religious toleration, their educational ideas and their focus on the importance of family. And we shouldn’t f orget the fact that the American Revolution began in New England so in essence the America we know today would not exist without New England. First off, colonial New England wasRead MoreThe Impact of Religion on the Development of Colonial America1030 Words   |  5 PagesCompare the ways in which religion shaped the development of colonial society (to 1740) in TWO of the following regions: New England Chesapeake Middle Atlantic The Impact of Religion on the Development of Colonial America During the seventeenth century, colonial America was welcoming many newcomers, several from England. Quantities of these newcomers were seeking land for economic purposes as others were longing for religious toleration. Many of the English colonists settled inRead MoreReligion in Latin America; the Age of Discovery and Conquest (1492-1597)1058 Words   |  5 PagesReligion played a big role in shaping the values, attitudes, and conduct of the Spanish during the Age of Discovery and Conquest (1492-1579). The colonial church provided control and a standard of conduct and living for the new world. In fact, the colonial church had even more power in Spanish America then it did in Spain. Why this is important though, is because it limited the possibility of rebellion and opposition. As long as the church was in place, there was Spanish order, and as long as thereRead MoreThe American Revolution : Popular Culture Essay1354 Words   |  6 Pagesa political uprising that took place betw een the years of 1765 and 1783. It was at this time that thirteen colonies rejected the British monarchy and aristocracy, overthrowing the authority of Great Britain in order to create the United States of America. The article Societal Impacts of the American Revolution stated that, â€Å"a strong compelling case could be made which displays how the American Revolution was fought on the grounds for expanding political rights.† This can be seen in the ColonistsRead MoreReligion Has Been A Major Force In The History Of The United1104 Words   |  5 Pageshistory of the United States and in settling the colonies of America in many ways. Religion was definitely one of the major reasons for the founding of the colonies. The early colonists wanted the freedom to worship God as they had seen as proper, and they were promised this freedom of worship. Most of these colonies were deeply rooted in their religious beliefs. Religion was a powerful influence on the social and politic al life of the colonial times in the New World. Typically, in the colonies, theRead MoreU.s. History During The Colonial Period928 Words   |  4 PagesOne of the most significant events in U.S. history during the late colonial period was the Boston Tea Party. After the Boston Massacre in spring of 1770, all of the Townshend acts had been repealed except the tea tax, and tensions went down, for the most part, between the colonists and the British. Two years later, however, the Gaspee incident and consequent formation of the Committee of Correspondence brought the tension back, to an alarming degree. Then in 1773, when Lord North tried to help theRead MoreEssay on The Making of America1371 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the colonial period, what were the factors that hindered or promoted a sense of national identity? At what point did nationalism become a major influence and why? The making of America; many factors that promoted the national identity began with the very first colonist that came to North America. In our primary text, it describes around the late 17th century the British Government established a board to govern the trade of the kingdom. Its purpose was to manage the colonies andRead MoreTransforming Late 18th and Early 19th Century America1265 Words   |  6 Pages10, 2011 Republicans: Transforming Late 18th and Early 19th Century America Many different forms of government can be put into place that will dramatically influence the culture and lifestyle of a particular society. The influence of republicans was significant in helping to shape colonial America. Republicans grew and helped to transform colonial America exponentially in the years 1764 through 1812. In present-day America one simply views a republican as a member of a political party. In contrast

Mahmut Sait Free Essays

Mahmut Sait Arslan 04 January 2013 The Role Of Religion in A Secular Society According to secularization theory, as societies become more modernized and rationalized, religion will gradually lose it’s authority in social life and governance(Norris Inglehart, 2004, p. 4). Modernization did â€Å"undermined† lots of accepted beliefs(Holloway, 2011, para. We will write a custom essay sample on Mahmut Sait or any similar topic only for you Order Now 7). But, by contrast with secularization thesis, there is no significant diminution in people’s religious demands(Kuru, 2011, p. 4). Appearently, not all modernized societies call themselves as â€Å"secular† and not every secular state can completely ignore religion. In this work, I’m going to inspect secular societies and question how religion can take part in their governance, concerning American, French and Turkish examples. Historically, American’s and French have seperated the church and state for different reasons. The establishment of secular state in America was a result of a compromise between rationalists and evangelists. These groups have agreed on the secular state for different reasons. Thomas Jefferson, one of the America’s Founding Fathers, had foreseen that the secular state would lead to the â€Å"freedom and triumph of the reason†. Oppositely, a famous Evangelist, Isaac Backus had believed that secular state would provide the spread of the religion(Kuru, 2011, p. 84). Because in America’s early years, none of the Protestant churches could provide the majority that is necessary to be legitimized as the official church. So, as the second best choice, they accepted the state to be secular(Kuru, 2011, p. 86). The secularization of the France is rooted in the ideas of Enlightenment. Philosophers of Enlightenment was trying to replace dogmatic values with rational and humanistic ones(Wikipedia, 2009). After the French Revolution, with the abolition of monarchy, the close relation between the French State and Catholic Church finished. According to Tocqueville, Christianity was the object of aggression not as a religion but as a political establishment. This was because of the cooperation between the monarch and the Church before the revolution(Kuru, 2011, p. 142). The different reasons led to different results in these countries. From the beginning of the 19th century, evangelists have strenghtened the socio-cultural hegomony of the Protestant college. Casanova, 1994, p. 137) Christianism was, in public sense, accepted as semiofficial religion of the U. S. It was also, accepted as a part of the state’s civil law(Kuru, 2011, p. 88). Even Supreme Court of U. S have acknowledged the U. S nation as a Christian nation(Kuru, 2011, p. 91). In this period, state was not neutral against all religions, but neutral amongst Protestant sects. Up till now, there has been ideological confl icts between rationalists and conservative people about the religion. There have been exclusivist and compromiser interpretations of the secularism. But generally, it hadn’t been understood as hostility against religion. In America, churches are relieved from state’s effect, wheras in France the state is relieved from the Church’s effect. A radical interpretation of secularism which advocates the seperation of not just state and church, but of all kind of values like moral and human values, is hegemonic in France. In other words, eliminating the religion from public life and confining it with the soul of human. Some people even exceed it to create a â€Å"religion of humanity†(Holloway, 2008, para. 12). But, there have been lots of significant deviations from the ideology because of Catholic roots of French public and opposing ideological attempts. French government could easily ignore the religious demands of minorities like Muslims and Jewish. But they pay much attention to the demands of Catholics who form the majority. At the end of the first quarter of the 20th century, Turkey had to quote the Swiss Civil Law because when they tried to make their own law, commission members couldn’t liberate themselves from their religious beliefs(Oguzman Barlas, 2012, p. 27). But even when quoting they had to make some modifications according to Turkish culture. This was made in the name of being secular and neutral against all beliefs. Putting the history aside, I want to examine the impact of religious law in secular societies’ law system. Human made laws are inspired by lots of different sources like ethics, religion, philosophy, convenances, other law systems etc. These rules have some commonalities because they’re all aimed to establish the ideal society. Concerning this, secular legislatives should concern every law system and utilize them. For example, marriage is, in religious world, concerned as a religious practice. For secular people this mean nothing. But, if we take human nature into the account, inexistence of the institution of marriage could be a threat to the mental and physical health of the progenies(Oktem Turkbag, 1999, p. 209). So, the legislatives may foresee a religious institution like marriage as necessary for secular reasons. The implementation of the secular law in Turkey has caused many problems because there were some rules which were opposite to the belief and perception of majority of the public like prohibiting headscarves. Ordering a believer not to do what they believe is like ordering somebody to jump off a cliff. Because they’re sure that they will be rewarded or punished according to their loyalty to their beliefs. The secularization thesis promise to be neutral against all religions. But applicating the inhibition of a religious obligation to all members of the society equally, is like prohibiting to sleep under the arch of a bridge for both rich and poor people equally(Kuru, 2011, p. 108). The acceptance of secularism as being neutral, and religiousity as differantiality makes secularists more advantagous. To eliminate unequality, chaos and tension states should pay more attention on public demands and trends. Compared to French and Turkish history, there were less religious related slaughters in American history. Without renouncing secularism, Americans could identify themselves as religious. They used secularism not as a tool to restrict and transform the public, but to ensure the freedom of different groups within the society. To be able to equal aginst every belief, each belief system should be approached equally. Like Islam or Christianity, secular people should be concerned as believers, believers of secularism. References Age of Enlightenment. (2009). In  Wikipedia. Retrieved january 4, 2013, from en. wikipedia. org Casanova, J. (1994). Public Religions in the Modern World. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Holloway, D. , (2008). The Secular State and The Oxford Union. Retrieved January 4, 2013, from http://www. church. org. uk/resources/csdetail. asp? csdate=01/02/2008 –(2011). A Judge, Secularism, Pluralism and Fundamentalism. Retrieved January 04, 2013, from http://www. church. org. uk/resources/csdetail. asp? csdate=01/03/2011 Kuru, A. (2011). Pasif ve D? slay? c? Laiklik: ABD, Fransa ve Turkiye. Istanbul: Istanbul Bilgi Universitesi Yay? nlar?. Norris, P. Inglehart, R. (2004). Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide. New York: Cambridge University Press. Oguzman, M. K. Barlas, N. (2012). Medeni Hukuk. Istanbul: Vedat Kitapc? l? k. Oktem, N. Turkbag, A. U. , (1999). Felsefe, Sosyoloji, Hukuk ve Devlet. Istanbul: Der Yay? nlar?. How to cite Mahmut Sait, Papers

The Effect Of Public Opinion Essay Research free essay sample

The Effect Of Public Opinion Essay, Research Paper Public sentiment is one of the major concerns of each politician. The polls, which are taken on the sample from population, are dependable beginnings of people # 8217 ; s sentiments. Our private point of position may be shared by many others and so if this is noticed by politicians they should be cognizant of that. They can utilize it for their ain intents like constructing a political platform with the aid from the polls information, or disregard it with the danger that it may someday turn against them.The people # 8217 ; s reaction on recent events is besides tested in public sentiment polls. The politicians examine them really carefully because it is, every bit good as election, sort of a scaling system demoing elector # 8217 ; s attitudes towards specific issues. Most of the people from New York City noticed the rise of police ferociousness ( despite official # 8217 ; s attempts to cover it ) , which ended up with incidents like the violent death of the unarmed adult male by four constabulary officers. We will write a custom essay sample on The Effect Of Public Opinion Essay Research or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Politicians have to be cognizant of people # 8217 ; s feelings about this instance. Although there was non any existent reform in the constabulary section, in the coming election this will go one of the major issues. If person wants to be elected he will show his manner of covering with this job. Right now it may look that this killing did non do any general alterations, but in my sentiment, the New York # 8217 ; s public realized that something must be changed in the NYPD. Even though there is nil traveling on now, people will retrieve to the following election that their campaigners must come out with declarations for constabulary ferociousness. The impact O f public sentiment ( shown in the polls ) made politicians cognizant that something must be done. Peoples believe that if they want more safety they might hold instances with some misdemeanors of civil rights. The city manager promised that he would be able to maintain a balance between those two poles. Recent polls are stating that this is non working. There were excessively many incidences with the constabulary mistreating their rights. Public sentiment wants alterations in the plans of maintaining the offense low. And it will be done because of the impact of public sentiment on political life. Politicians do non ever do what the polls tell them. Sometimes people change their attitudes and there are ways to make that. In the last election to the Congress, even though polls showed that people are no longer interesting in the president # 8217 ; s matter, republicans decided to foreground this instance in their run. To alter people attitudes they made Television commercials demoing a lying president. It was excessively much for the electors, already tired with all that was traveling on in this instance. These commercials were republican # 8217 ; s the biggest error during the run. They lost ballots because public sentiment decided that it does non desire to be shown any more # 8220 ; soil # 8221 ; . This is an illustration of misjugement of public sentiment and the consequences were a loss of ballots. Politicians may or may non follow people # 8217 ; s attitudes shown in polls but they are under our control all the clip, and sooner or later they must make what the bulk wa nts or they will lost the election. This is the biggest influence of public sentiment ; it shapes all political life. Rafal Szczurowski