The Thirteen Colonies

 The thirteen original British colonies established throughout the 17th and 18th centuries made up what is now known as the United States of America. By the 1700s, the British adhered to mercantilism principles when controlling these colonies. These principles were vital in balancing trades in favor of Britain. However, with time, the colonists found this economic system unfair, particularly due to Britain's unfair taxation. The thirteen British colonies included Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Although they were all British colonies, they were formed differently and had differing political structures. Every colony had a strong capacity for self-government and elected its leaders by the 1700s. These colonies were further grouped into three: the Southern, Mid-Atlantic, and New England colonies, each having a different economic system. Therefore, it is vital to study the thirteen colonies' political patterns and economic systems to comprehend them better and identify the region that seems the most balanced. 

Various political patterns are evident in the thirteen colonies. Virginia was the first permanent English settlement founded by The Virginia Company (Corbett et al., 2014). The colony had a general assembly that set a model for the other colonies' representative government. On the other hand, the Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded by the Puritans who left England to flee from the conformity that the Church of England had established. The colony's first governor was John Winthrop, who aimed to create reformed Protestantism (Corbett et al., 2014). The colony's constitution indicated the fear of excessive democracy by creating two legislature chambers, a lower and upper house, and a strong governor with vast veto powers (Mancke, 2019). In addition. Judges in this colony were appointed rather than elected. The state capitol was in Boston's center, making it challenging for farmers from the state's western part to attend legislative sessions (Corbett et al., 2014). The 1776 Pennsylvania and 1784 New Hampshire constitutions tended towards democracy. In Pennsylvania, one needed not to own property to vote, and a person aged 21 and above who had resided in a similar location for at least one year could vote (Corbett et al., 2014). Additionally, it eliminated the executive branch, meaning they had no governor, and the upper house; hence it had a unicameral legislature. The New Hampshire constitution involved every small village or town sending a representative to the state government. The constitutions of South Carolina and Maryland restrained the democratic majority's authority. Maryland's constitution restricted the wealthy planter class from holding office. One had to own more than 5000 pounds of personal property to be a governor and estates worth 1000 pounds for the state senator office. The South Carolina constitution safeguarded the interests of the wealthy by limiting high offices for the wealthiest inhabitants (Corbett et al., 2014). In Rhode Island, England appointed the governor while freeholders elected the assembly. New Jersey and Georgia were royal colonies with an elected assembly (Mancke, 2019). Overall, the thirteen colonies' political patterns were between democracy and the limitation of it due to fears that the colony would be out of control. 

Southern, Mid-Atlantic, and New England colonies were home to various economic activities. The Southern region contained Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, South Carolina, and Georgia colonies. The region contained arable land and broad coastal plains, making plantation farming possible. Although the early settlers of Virginia hoped they could mine gold, they and the Maryland settlers quickly recognized that tobacco farming was a reliable way to make money (Corbett et al., 2014). Tobacco farming was labor intensive hence the region relied on indentured servants. These servants were treated like property and would be sold or traded among parties who could afford the purchase. By the end of the 17th century, slavery took hold in this region, with Maryland and Virginia adopting chattel slavery, legally defining Africans as property (Corbett et al., 2014). The enslavement of natives also became popular. In contrast, the Mid-Atlantic region contained Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, and New Jersey colonies. The region contained a warm climate, fertile soils, swift rivers, and wide valleys; hence it was suitable for farming (Corbett et al., 2014). Mining and trading also formed part of the region's economy. Lastly, the New England region consisted of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island colonies. This region was known for its cold climate and rocky soils, making it unsuitable for large-scale farming. The labor system in this region constituted young people and the members of their large families who worked diligently at their calling and did most of the work required in running farms, businesses, and the home. The region refused immigrants, which would tamper with its homegrown workforce, producing remarkable results and making the region a powerful maritime-based economy (Corbett et al., 2014). New England mariners constructed ships transporting the tobacco harvested in Virginia and Maryland. Additionally, fishing was also common in this region. The Mid-Atlantic region is thus more balanced as they practiced farming and trading. 

The thirteen colonies were significant to Britain; hence the need to analyze their political trends and economic systems. Although some colonies preferred democracy, others did not, as they believed democracy would make the colonies unmanageable by granting the people too much power. Additionally, the wealthy preferred to keep the power to themselves hence the restrictions on the property and estate ownership when vying for political seats. The thirteen colonies were classified into three major regions: Southern, Mid-Atlantic, and New England. Each of these had different economic systems as dictated by the climate and state of the land. The Mid-Atlantic region was the most balanced because it engaged in trading activities and farming. 

References

Corbett, P., Precht, J., Janssen, V., Lund, J., Pfannestiel, T., Vickery, P., & Waskiewicz, S. (2014). U.S. history. OpenStax College, Rice University.

Mancke, E. (2019). The Age of constitutionalism and the new political history. Canadian Historical Review, 100(4), 620-637. https://doi.org/10.3138/chr.2019-0028