16th Century: The Age Of Mercantilism

The 16th century was most commonly known as the Age of Mercantilism. The Age of Mercantilism pushed Europe to take control of as many colonies possible. That is the main reason why the English headed to America. The Thirteen Colonies were the first English settlements in America. The colonies were made to be business ventures. They also had another benefit, which was that they provided an outlet for England’s surplus population. The colonies also provided more religious freedom than England had at that time, but the main purpose for the Thirteen Colonies was to make money. The lives lived in the thirteen colonies greatly reflect modern society. The thirteen colonies created safe havens for religious freedom, provided opportunities for people to advance socioeconomic groups, and different types of government. …show more content…
Anyone with different beliefs from the Church were punished or treated as if they were different. As people immigrated to New England they were very protective over their religion as they were treated badly because of it in England. They didn’t want people of other beliefs, possibly interfering with their chance to believe a religion that went against the Church. Most people in New England developed the same attitude against people of different beliefs and religions as there was back in England. Whereas, the people who emigrated and lived in the Middle and Southern Colonies accepted many more people to their communities. They made them feel more welcome, even those of different beliefs than the original settlers. During this time, New England let the Church affect the opinions and works of the government. In contrast, the Middle and Southern Colonies decided to try and keep the Church and government as two separate things. They did not have as many occurrences of the government being overruled by the opinions of The