Internet Sources about Colonial America
The history of Colonial America was colonial possessions in the Western Hemisphere formed by European nations. England was the primary European country to develop colonies on the Atlantic seaboard, which had pushed the Dutch out of Colonial America. The purpose of the colonies was to generate income. England used colonies to provide raw materials for trade and to serve as markets for finished products. English colonies eventually became dominant in North America because many settlers were drawn to their political systems. These systems encouraged representative government, religious toleration, economic growth, and cultural diversity.
The British colonists developed their own ideas about political authority and government institution. Three fundamental principles won broad support among the American settlers: People can create their own governments by composing a written constitution or by transforming a charter into a political framework; people have a right to govern themselves through representative institutions; and people can most effectively organize church-state relations by practicing religious toleration and by establishing either a single church or a system of multiple churches. Eventually the British colonies on the mainland of North America revolted against imperial control and established their independence in 1776 as the United States of America.
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