In 1630 the Puritans and John Winthrop got ready to travel to New England. John Winthrop made sure to emphasize the importance of God. John also emphasized that God chose certain people to be rich and powerful while others were not and essentially the complete opposite meaning poor and helpless. That way the “better” and “stronger” people could show mercy to the lesser privileged only if they offered them their obedience. Whether you were rich or poor John made sure to remind the Puritans that all of them were summoned by god. They were summoned by god to work hard and to make sure that materialistic items never got in the way of their priority of spiritual devotion. Since spiritual devotion was so important to him and played a big part in their lives. The Puritans kept their work ethic and strong priority of religion foundation of American Values. The Puritans embraced the American newness. They took the idea of newness and made it their primary focus. Since John came, they no longer lived in the past, but they now lived with the constant idea that something new and better was always coming their way. For example, one of the big things they were waiting for was Christ’s second coming and his region on the world the Millennium. All this newness would bring a new chapter not only for New England but for world history.
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Farmers in early New England faced hard times as did their families but as time went on things got easier. In the beginning Farmers and their families would be clearing rocks that sometimes would take sixty days of tough and excruciating labor for barely an acre to be cleared which is practically nothing. Their growing season was not much easier on them. For instance, their growing season was short especially compared to other colonies and areas and any crops that grew in the harsh climate was not at all stable and tended not to survive meaning they struggled a lot. Their cattle and crops were very similar to the English countryside. For example, they had wheat, oats, barley, pigs, sheep, and some cattle. Most of the New Englanders used the sea and everything it had to offer to make a living since that was the most stable thing they had. Codfish had been in their diet for centuries. Especially since their coast had the heaviest concentration of in the world for Codfish. There were also whales which helped them supply things like lighting and lubrication. The flourishing fishing industries helped the evolution of shipbuilding and transatlantic commerce. Fishing was one of their more successful sources of income. The rising incomes and trading with Britain and Europe soon brought trouble to the Puritans because it brought a taste for the finer things in life. The Puritans did not like this because their ideal living situation was simple and high thinking which was the opposite direction of where they were heading. Another one of their biggest successes was the forests and the ships. A big profit of money was the forests because you were able to use all different types of trees for different items, they had multiple uses. For example, the old-growth trees were prized because they were able to be used for ship masts and spars. In the beginning, the British government declared that the tallest trees, the straightest trees, the white pines, and oak were to be used for the Royal Navy, and at the same time the British officials persuaded the colonists to make their own shipbuilding industries. During this time American-made ships rapidly became known for the affordability and quality of their ships. Towards the end of the seventeen century, New England became a part of a complicated North Atlantic commercial network. They did not only trade with the North Atlantic but also with Spain, France, Portugal, the Netherlands, and their colonies which were often illegally done since they were not allowed to do that. Trading in the middle colonies, New England, and the South was all different. A big disadvantage was the lack of stable crops to exchange for English goods. Since their soil was so poor. One thing that did work in their favor however was the shipping and commercial enterprise. After 1660 the English government placed a prohibitive duty which is basically taxes to protect their agriculture and fisheries. For example, they placed taxes on fish, wheat, meat, flour, furs, whale oils, and timber which were more of their desired items. Between 1698-1717 New York bought more from England than they were delivering to them which made an unfair trade balance. New York was not happy about not having an equal export and import so with this came the triangular trade. The triangular trade is a system of trading that basically pays for its imports from one country by exporting items to another country. The middle colonies are between New England and the South which worked in the middle colonies' favor. The middle colonies manufactured an abundance of food and other items for export to the slave-based areas in the South and West Indies. The Hudson, Delaware, and Susquehanna also known as the three great lakes and their tributaries gave access to the backcountry of New York, Pennsylvania, and a massive fur trade with the Native Americans.
All these effects played a big part in the growth of New England. The economy plays a big part in every colony. Knowing the difficulties that New England went through really opens your eyes to see how far not only they have come but also all the other colonies. It’s hard to imagine living in those times when things weren’t as simple as they are now. Since farming was not quite successful in New England most of the settlers ran businesses. Some aspects that made New England unique were all the trading opportunities, their fishing, manufacturing, and their harbors. New England took advantage of what they knew they could offer. They figured out what was able to work for them and what didn’t. They adapted to their situations since their soil was poor. They knew they could not plant much but they were able to learn that they could grow things such as pumpkins, squash, beans, and rye. All these things that New England went through brought them to where they are now. All the newness that New England learned brought many opportunities and a new beginning.
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