American colonists

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Diversity of the colonists

They had come from far and wide into a foreign country. They wanted to make it their homeland, to practice farming and other social-economic activities that they had learned from home (Harasymiw 33). They were diverse in their practices but at the same time had a similar way of dealing with different situations. This paper presents the diversity and similarities of the colonists who arrived in America. The paper mainly deals with their sources of livelihood and political ideologies. Colonists were diverse but alike at the same time.

Their diversity

When they first arrived in America, they had come with the intention of spreading their religion. Some came as Christians and wanted to convert others into their religion (Harasymiw 33). Most Christian missionaries aimed at converting as many people as possible and spreading the gospel to make new believers. Colonists from Britain were the main Christian missionaries. Others wanted to spread Islam and took every opportunity they had to spread their religion and convert as many people as possible. Although they had come to spread their religion, this was a main point of diversity. The two religions are different, though they had the same aim, to give people faith and hope for a better world, they all believed in different philosophies.

Colonists were also diverse in their reasons for coming to America. They all came to serve different purposes. Among the main purposes were trade, exploration and spreading their religion. They were diverse by the purpose they served and their reason for coming. Traders were looking for raw materials for their industries back at home while at the same time they wanted to find a market for their finished products. Explorers wanted to know if there existed other countries past their own country and how people lived in those other countries. Missionaries had a mission to spread their religion and gain more followers (Joseph 12).

Their diversity runs deeper into the activities they performed to provide for their livelihoods. When they arrived and settled down in America, colonists took up different roles in America. They had to find a source of income and a way to support their families. Some became farmers; their diversity extends to farming as some became pastoralists while other practiced agricultural farming (Joseph 12). This diversity enabled them to support each other; the pastoralists produced beef ad meaty produce form their farms while the agricultural producers brought agricultural produce. By this diversity they were able to trade amongst themselves and become united as colonists.

Colonists were diverse through their culture; some were of British origin while others were of French origin. The language they spoke and were different. French colonists used French to communicate while British colonists used English to communicate and teach their young children at school (Joseph 12). They performed different social activities, colonists from France performed sea sports while those from Britain played football. Sports were used to bring people together and present a forum for cultural exchange.

Their similarities

They had come from neighboring countries and as a result of their previous interactions they had similar traits. Colonists also exchanged cultures when they came to America, through their interactions with the natives and other colonists they had similarities in ideas and lifestyles.

One major similarity is architectural design and building of houses. When the colonists settled down in America, they had to build their homes in the new territory. Their designs and methods of constructing houses were similar; they used bricks to construct houses that were bungalows. As a result of their cultural exchanges during previous interactions, they had learned to build houses with the same materials and designs (Katz and Arielle 44).

The all practiced some form of farming. This is one of the reasons why the colonists had left their countries to come to America. They were searching for greener pastures and arable land where they could practice mixed farming (Goldstein 52). Since they did not occupy large tracks of arable land, most of them practiced small scale farming as a source of their daily livelihood. They produced enough to serve their families and had some left to trade with what they did not have. The specialization however was different as they planted differently. Their styles of farming and irrigation were the same.

They had a similar way of offering education to their children and the natives. This was an area of social segregation where children who belonged to rich families went to good private schools while those who came from average and below average family’s wen to community schools (Goldstein 52). Community schools were mainly constructed by religious institutions as a way of community empowerment.

Most of all, colonists had the same style of administration and political ideas. They all had the idea of republicanism which was among the earliest forms of democracy. Political leaders were elected by the people and were not from a specific family linage.

In conclusion

Colonialists had their differences and similarities. They had come to America for different reasons; however during their stay here they put aside their differences and worked in unity.

Works Cited

Goldstein, Margaret J.. British in America. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner, 2006. Print.

Harasymiw, Mark. The British colonies. New York: Gareth Stevens Pub., 2011. Print.

Joseph, J. W.. Another’s country archaeological and historical perspectives on cultural interactions in the southern colonies. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2002. Print.

Katz, Ron, and Arielle de. Auvergne. French America: French architecture from colonialization to the birth of a nation. New York, NY: French Heritage Society, 2004. Print.