Conservatives, Moderates, and Radicals

Conservatives, moderates, and radicals all greatly shaped the first and second Continental Congresses. There were three groups of people that all had different views on how to deal the England, the “mother country.” These three groups were the radicals, moderates, and conservatives. Conservatives believed that they should not separate from England at all, but were not very happy about some of England’s idea of what role the colonies should play. Moderates judged that the bond they shared with Great Britain could easily be amended. Lastly, Radicals, the most persuasive of the three groups, essentially deemed that the English colonies should either break away from Britain or make Britain comply with their demands. Conservatives, moderates, and radicals all shaped the first and second Continental Congresses, but the Radicals were far more persuasive and in the end their ideals dominated because of the still present fact that their beliefs were put through.

The conservatives believed that the English settlements needed to remain part of Great Britain and not split apart and declare independence. There were some a few delegates in 1774 at the first continental congress that supported conservative ideals. These included: John Jay (from New York) and Joseph Galloway (from Pennsylvania). Even the conservatives did not completely have faith in British control. Galloway, for example, believed that the colonies should stay with Britain, but would have some political authority being able to veto some Acts Great Britain put forth. However, Galloway’s beliefs were not accepted by all, giving the radicals leeway for support for their beliefs.

Moderates felt that Great Britain and England could both stride to fix their relationship. One of the most famous moderates was the first president of the United States, George Washington. The moderate group was basically a place for middle ground between the two other groups radicals and conservatives. Moderates, however, did believe that the colonies should remain a part of Britain. The radicals were the only group that was fully for colonial independence.

The radicals were easily the most successful group of the three. Many famous people were a part of this faction including: John Adams and Patrick Henry. Radicals believed that the colonies had to either declare independence or make Britain give in to their demands. The radicals were extremely successful when it came to enforcing their morals. The main evidence of this is that the United States today is separate from the British rule. The radicals were the most persuasive and influential group in the first and second Continental Congresses because America did declare independence. Thereby the radicals were able to persuade enough people that their ideals were correct that their ethics were followed.

In conclusion, the three major factions of the first and second Continental Congresses were dominated by the radical faction. The chief evidence of this is that their beliefs were followed by the majority of the American public as apposed to the conservatives and moderates whose standards were not put through. The conservatives and moderates were not able to hold enough ground against the radicals to gain enough support for their principles to be pursued. Overall, the radicals were the most dominant group of the first and second Continental Congresses through their great effort to declare independence which was eventually successful.

The Disagreements between the First Settlers

The role of religion in the English colonies greatly varied from settlement to settlement. Some English settlements had religiously based governments. Other settlements were created as religious havens for persecuted Christian denominations. Many of these colonies differed from one other regarding actual religious beliefs dominant in their populations. The English colonies were thus dissimilar from one another both in terms of religious beliefs of their citizens and regarding how religion should be used in the government.

A prime example of a colony that had a religiously based government was Massachusetts Bay. This colony had a theocratic form government in which the church controlled the government. Another example would be Plymouth, the first colony in New England. Plymouth based its government completely on religious principles. Its “constitution,” the Mayflower Compact, made repeated mention of God. In addition, Plymouth’s leader and later governor, William Bradford held a religious vision for Plymouth, that it would be a colony with a direct covenant with God which would be an example for others to follow. Bradford’s sermon on the Mayflower expressed this vision, citing Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount “Ye are the light of the world. A city upon a hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14, King James Version). This sermon indicated that they, the Plymouth Puritans, were the light of the world.

There were quite a few English settlements that were founded as havens for persecuted religions. Maryland, for example, was created as a haven for Catholics by Lord Baltimore, who gave his territory freedom of religion for all Christian denominations. He did this because he was Catholic and he knew that Catholics would be a minority in his colony and would be discriminated against unless there was freedom of religion. Additionally, Roger Williams guaranteed religious freedom in his settlement, Rhode Island, as well. He did this because he thought that there should be separation between Church and state. Furthermore, the colony of Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn as a haven for Quakers who were persecuted in other English territories.

Lastly, the English colonies differed from one another regarding the actual religious beliefs of their citizens. Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay, for example, although both believed in the Church being the ultimate power in government had populations with sharply divergent religious beliefs. One group (Plymouth) held separatist religious convictions, and thus did not want to be a part of the Church of England. The colonists in Massachusetts Bay, in contrast, believed that they should not separate from the Church of England. Maryland and Pennsylvania had both been started as havens for persecuted religions, but both were for different religions. William Penn created his colony for Quakers, while in contrast Lord Baltimore made his for Catholics. Maryland, meanwhile, basically established freedom for all Christian groups—this religious freedom, however, was not extended to Jews (who were tolerated in Rhode Island and Pennsylvania).

To conclude, all the colonies differed from one another when it came to religion. They diverged when it came to actual religious beliefs and on what role religion should play in the government. All the colonies had a strong religious presence, yet almost every colony disagreed in some way with other colonies when it came to religion. Overall, the colonies did not agree with one other when it came to what role religion should play in their settlements.

Differences in the English colonies in terms of government, population, and origin

The English colonies in the New World differ from one another in multiple ways. Specifically, three main differences among the colonies stand out. First of all, the colonies tended to be dissimilar in their governmental structures. The colonies also had differences in their population. Lastly, the colonies were also disparate in their origins. Overall, the colonies greatly differed from each other.

One of the most significant differences among the colonies was government. Multiple colonies, such as the Massachusetts Bay Colony, developed a theocracy, making the Church the dominant power politically, thereby controlling the government. Other colonies, like Connecticut, did not develop a theocracy. Instead, Connecticut early on became the first colony to compose a constitution. Another excellent example of the differences between colonies regarding government is that, while New York had a very limited democracy (being controlled by the Duke of York), its neighbor Pennsylvania was far more democratic. Even colonies very close together differed from each other how to run a government.

Colonies grandly differed from one another in terms of their population size. One notable fact is that the northern colonies tended to have more urbanized areas, due to large amounts of trade and commerce. The southern colonies, in contrast, were more spread out, with extensive farmland for plantations. Colonies such as New York and Massachusetts had larger populations than colonies like South Carolina and Georgia. On the whole northern colonies tended to have denser populations than southern colonies which were more spread out of wide areas of space.

The English colonies originated for a wide variety of reasons. Some colonies were founded for religious purposes, such as Maryland and Pennsylvania. Others were founded for economic reasons. As a result, colonies like New York which served as trade centers quickly became urbanized. The Carolinas, meanwhile, were founded by proprietors. One that differs from almost all the other colonies is Georgia, which was founded as a buffer colony to protect some of the more important colonies from Spanish invaders.

To conclude, the English colonies had significant differences among them. The colonies differed from one another based on government. They also had varied population sizes. Finally, they were dissimilar when it came to origin. Overall, the English colonies in the New World were different in many ways.

My Words to Describe Math

I am astounded by the greatness of the study of mathematics. I feel mathematics are very direct and straightforwad. There is a certain joy I experience when solving an exceptionally long equation after much toiling over the answer. Everytime I learn a new subject I am overcomed with pleasure at conquering a concept that earlier I would have stuttered upon. After only about an hour of work with math I feel rejuvinated. Overall, math has been a great joy in my life that I have the privelage of reveling in everyday.