Misconceptions Of Us History
There are many misconceptions among our general public about the origins of the United States and the causes of the Revolution. Many people believe that the settlers who immigrated to the colonies were heroes who came to America to establish a country where everybody could experience religious liberty, or to help the English economy. It is also a common misconception that the English were very controlling of the American colonies. Some might think that the taxes that led to the revolution were a result of British envy over the success of the colonies. There is also a lot of pride in American culture stemming from the belief that we won the Revolutionary War due to our superior skills as soldiers. However, all of these are misconceptions. The results of these events came from American rebellion along with plenty of luck.
The immigrants who came to colonize America had their own self-interests in mind. Many were coming for financial opportunity, while others were of Puritan faith, and did not agree with Catholicism or the Church of England. Another key factor was overpopulation in Europe. Because there was a shortage of resources in Europe and an increase in population, living conditions for the average man dwindled. The increase in population, coupled with the fact that England wanted to limit Spain's expansion in colonizing the new land, would lead the British government to support the settlement of colonies in the New World. The new settlers took huge risks in finding land in America that could produce wealth. The textbook, Firsthand America, describes these men as "adventurers," and the women that came with them were nothing less, but the textbook also recognizes that women had better financial opportunity in the New World than in England. Many died while trying to settle at Roanoke, where there was heavy resistance from the Indians, as well as Jamestown, where disease was rampant, along with some Indian resistance. Jamestown eventually endured, and...
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