The Making of America

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Throughout 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 and plantations around America and other locations (Reich, 2011, p. 104). Furthermore once this was established colonies became more decentralized and began to govern themselves, slowly becoming Americanized, setting the stage for revolution. Many of the factors that set the stage for revolution took years of developing, the time it took and generations of work that eventually manifested in the American Revolution (Reich, 2011, p. 264), (Brinkley, 2010, p. 100). The factors that lead down the road to revolution and a national identity are religion, separate unregulated freedom to worship (Reich, 2011, p. 265). Also, the proclamation of 1763, that regulated where colonist could not migrate and expand past the Appalachian mountains within the land where they could etch out a living (Reich, 2011, p. 265). Another, struggle was between trade and tax with the British government with the sugar, stamp, and currency acts. Furthermore, the pressure of the Townshend acts incited tremendous pressure on the colonies revenues (Reich, 2011, pg. 266-267). Until the major wars that took place between the World powers, England, France, and Spain concluded, it was determined that the American colonists began to realize they were funding someone else’s wa...

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...l opportunities of the middle colonies that propelled many to establish themselves for economic success, especially because of the rich farmland and the ports that could support trade like Charleston (Nash, 2010, pg. 175-181). The strength of economics played a huge role in developing the political dynamics that are still shaping America today.

Reference

Brinkley. A. (2010). The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People,

Vol. I 6th Edition. McGraw-Hill New York, NY.

Kupperman, K. (2000) Major Problems in American Colonial History: Documents

and Essays, (2nd ed.) Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Nash, G. (2010). Red, White and Black: The Peoples of Early North America (6th ed.).

Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Reich, J. (2011) Colonial America, (6th ed.) Upper Saddle River, New Jersey:

Prentice Hall.

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