HIS WA2

The thirteen colonies comprised a collection of British colonies on North America’s Atlantic coastline. The colonies were separated into three distinct regions. The regions exhibited differences in trade, religion, and political government systems. These differences were influenced by climatic and geographical conditions and the belief inclinations of the colonists. In addition, the migration patterns of the Europeans were influenced by the various regal objectives, cultures, and diverse north American environments. Therefore, due to the diversity in the regions they settled in, different modes of governance and economic activities were developed as they competed with each other for resources.

The Three Major Regions

The thirteen colonies were subdivided into three regions based on regional differences. First were the colonies of New England, consisting of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. Second are the middle colonies, including New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. At last, the Southern Colonies consisted of Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia (Richardson, n.d.). Each of these regions had particular economic, cultural, social, and political approaches that suited the region’s interests and capabilities. The thirteen colonies were established during the seventeenth century to harvest raw materials used for the British empire’s growth (Brooks, 2017). Therefore, much competition was experienced among the regions to obtain the resources.

Political Patterns

The political system of governance varied across the regions. Three types of governments existed: royal, proprietary, and charter (Alchin, 2017). Despite the differences, the systems comprised some similarities. For instance, they all had a governor, a governor court, and a court system (Alchin, 2017). The royal colonies exhibited direct British government rule. However, a royal governor was chosen to represent the British government, through whom the rules were realized. The charter government was seen in the colonies that performed businesses. This form of government allowed the king to bestow the authority of land governance to the proprietors. Therefore, the charter colonies were self-governed, and the charters were issued to the colonists (Alchin, 2017). This showed that despite self-governance, the laws established by the proprietors had to follow the English common law. On the other hand, proprietary colonies were established by individuals who received authority from the English Monarchs (Alchin, 2017). Therefore, the political governance system would be overseen by the individual or the chosen family through kingship rule. In New England colonies, the local governments were located within the small towns. A New England Confederation was formed in 1643 to establish a defense against the Indians, French, and Dutch (Richardson, n.d.). This was the first political union to be formed among the colonies. Despite the presence of various government systems, the colonies were allowed to be self-governing. This type of political pattern enabled the colonies to enhance and grow economically. Little administration intervention by the colonists was experienced since they were preoccupied with domestic issues. During this period, the colonies mastered the art of self-governance while the colonists benefitted with increased self-sustenance. The political systems were encouraged by the colonists' religious inclinations; however, they were influenced by the colonial regions' political agendas and social aspects (Aleksandrov, 2022). Therefore, the established systems were highly accountable due to the frequent formal and informal political checks that were in place.

Economic Systems

Economic systems differed for the three colonial regions. The activities varied based on the region’s environmental, climatic, and geographical conditions (Alchin, 2017). The New England colonies were famous for their richness in forests and fur trapping (Richardson, n.d.). The region was not blessed with good farmlands; hence, the region specialized in fishing, lumbering, shipbuilding, and fur trading. As a result, the economic activity was inclined to manufacturing, which focused on establishing town life and industries. A triangle trade was significant in which enslaved people were traded for the West Indies molasses. The molasses was further manufactured to produce rum which was used for trading for enslaved people in Africa (Richardson, n.d.). The middle colonies practiced farming, and their regions were suitable for natural harbors (Richardson, n.d.). Farming involved both crop growing and livestock farming. The middle colonies also practiced trade like the New England colonies. The economic aspect of the middle colonies was encompassing since they engaged in diverse activities rather than exhibiting overreliance on a particular economic activity, which would be limiting. The southern colonies practiced plantation farming, where enslaved people were used to cultivate the plantations (Richardson, n.d.). Major cash crops were grown in these plantations, such as rice, tobacco, cotton, indigo, and other crops such as corn, grain, and vegetables. Therefore, the presence of plantations caused people to separate, thus inhibiting the growth of towns within the region.

Various modes of political governance and economic activities were experienced among the three regions of the colonies due to the difference in the regional geographical, climatic and cultural environments. As a result, the colonies developed suitable approaches to maximize resource acquisition. In my opinion, the middle region exhibits a balanced economic situation given that they practice diversified farming coupled with trade, unlike the southern region, which is over-reliant on plantation farming, or the New England region, which lacks farming and relies on trade. Despite different political systems, some similarities can be seen across the colonies. Moreover, self-governance played a key role in enhancing the independence of the colonies as well as the self-sufficiency of the colonists.

References

Alchin, L. (2017, February). Thirteen colonies. Land of the Brave. https://www.landofthebrave.info/thirteen-colonies.htm#:~:text=All%20of%20the%20systems%20of,court%2C%20and%20a%20court%20system

 Aleksandrov GV (2022, March) A Civil Body Politick: Governance, Community, and Accountability in Early New England. Front. Polit. Sci. 4:804673. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpos.2022.804673/full

Richardson, R. (n.d.). Historical analysis – comparing and contrasting - 13 colonies. Warren County Public Schools. https://www.warrencountyschools.org/userfiles/1635/Classes/13760/comparing%20english%20colonies.pdf?id=599626