American Colonies Dbq

A-1: The pursuit of it's own imperial interests meant for a stronger England. Initially, the two main motives for colonizing were religious and economic. The colonization meant that England could exploit the natural resources in North America, which turned out to be a rather lucrative move. Additionally, the colonies would be able to spread Christianity. Although the production of crops required laborers, what was found was that the native peoples of America could either be conquered, or enslaved with little ease. In turn, the enslaved natives could produce crops that could be exported to Europe. Items like horses, sugar, and tobacco also had an impact on trade. In 1493, Christopher Columbus transported sugar canes to Hispaniola. Roughly 20 …show more content…

The Stamp Act required that the majority of printed materials carry a special, watermarked, symbol. This new law mostly affected the elitist members of the colonies as they used the now-taxed items more than anyone. Moving forward, diplomas, dice, cards, licenses, and loans would carry a stamp tax. Additionally, if you accepted a government post, you would also be susceptible to the Stamp Act. C-2: Secondly, the provision of the Stamp Act required that stamps be bought and paid for using sterling coin. Traditionally, the colonies practiced self-imposed taxation. The requirement to purchase stamps using sterling coin ultimately broke that practice. Finally, violators of the rule would be tried in vice-admiralty courts. In these courts, Judges had the final say in the matter. This meant that the American facing trial would not have the chance to face a jury. However, Patrick Henry proposed a series of proposals to the Virginian House of Burgesses. While only four proposals were adopted, they implied that the colonists, in moving to the colonies, had ever forgone their rights as British citizens. Finally, it was decided that the colonists, mainly of Virginia, needn't pay taxes imposed by another foreign body, such as Parliament. Then, in 1766, the Stamp Act was repealed in its entirety by