Introduction
Colonial unrest is a state of total dissatisfaction or disturbances to colonies during the colonial era. The study explores the disturbances or dissatisfactions experienced by colonies such as New York, Virginia, and Massachusetts under the control of the colonial states such as British, Europeans and Britain.
The factors that led to these disturbances and their effects on the three mentioned colonies (Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts) are an area of interest in the study. Also, the study highlights the implication of such disturbances on the colonial society in North America.
Colonial Unrest in Virginia (1676)
Virginia is a U.S state colonized by British in 1607. British in London had formed a company by the name London Virginia Company whose purpose was to colonize Virginia State. The major reason unto why British Colony decided to colonize Virginia State is that it wanted to take control over Gold, which was a natural mineral for Virginia.
During 1676 disturbance occurred in the Virginia state as the Virginians rebelled against William Berkeley who was Virginia Governor (Christianson 45). The rebellion began when William Berkeley refused to act against the Indian attacks on Frontier settlements.
Other reasons include; the failure of William Berkeley to protect the frontier settlers against Indian attacks, high taxes imposed on the settlers and racial segregation when appointing his office personnel. The disturbance led to the mass killing of many colonists in Virginia, for instance, eight colonists reported killed in frontier settlements because of lack of enough labor that could have protected them.
The disturbances revealed that colonization in North America colonies based on race since whites were favored over blacks since they were slaves (Christianson 67).
Colonial Unrest in New York (1712 and 1741)
British colonists settled in New York City in North America with the aim of colonizing the New York state though they encountered severe rebellion from the New York people more so the blacks and the whites in America. One reason for whites’ rebellion against the British is that they wanted to be involved in the British government in New York State (Christianson 70).
Also, British colonists needed a labor force for their farms. For instance, the Stono rebellion, which was a group of African slaves, resisted against the British Colonists. African slaves came to realize that these colonies were treating them differently compared to other whites in the New York state.
The rebellion distorted the colonial process, but it became ineffective because whites were large in number compared to the blacks. The meaning is that the disturbances were because of high taxes, control of resources by British colonists and overpopulation.
These disturbances led to; the death of many Africans, conversion of Africans into slaves, and loss of natural resources to British colonists (Christianson 82).
Colonial Unrest in Massachusetts (1723)
Massachusetts was a very wealthy province near the Pacific Ocean. Many powers were fighting to control this colony. It became a religious place as it was inhibited by English people who were escaping religious persecution back at home (Purvis and Balkin 97).
The governments set by these British were strong, and the Americans in Massachusetts were ready to join the self-government. This resulted in the war as the Americans in this province wanted independence. The blacks never involved in the rebellions because the whites were the ones who opted to be equal with the British.
The Americas were also fighting over heavy taxation imposed on them. The fish caught from the ocean taken to industries did not benefit the Americas, and thus they opted to rebel the rule. The British astonished by the rebellion, changed some policies to benefit the colonies.
The Americas were also involved in government. The rebellions also led to the death of some British (Purvis and Balkin 121). In conclusion, Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts are some of the states or in the United States that were colonized by British which was after minerals and other natural resources such as fish, land for settlement and Gold among others.
The Americans in Virginia, New York, and Massachusetts rebelled against the British rule because it imposes unfair taxes on them. All these rebellions are what considered as disturbances in colonies ruled by the British. The effects of such disturbances led to the death of some British colonists and Americans in colonies where it occurred.
Works Cited
Christianson, Scott. With liberty for some: 500 years of imprisonment in America. New York: UPNE, 2000.Print.
Purvis, Thomas and Balkin, Richard. Colonial America to 1763. London: InfoBase Publishing, 1999.Print.