Colonial America progressed a great deal throughout a less than 200 year time period, going through thick and thin to form a new nation. The Spanish were the first to colonize the Americas. They used the Spanish armada, their powerful navy, to keep other countries from settling there. But the English moved in and created Jamestown. Later, the Virginia Company was established to encourage more profitable colonies. When more communities were established the settlers created the House of Burgesses, which was the first form of government in America. To promote English colonization, the Headright System was created giving people land to move to America.
But as more settlers came in, religion spread to the New World. For example, Maryland, founded by Lord Baltimore, was colonized by Roman Catholics who were escaping a tragic fate in England. In order to profit, the Toleration Act was passed to encourage settlement, which promised to tolerate other religions,. But religious freedom wasn’t even freedom at all. Roger Williams was the first person to create a colony, Rhode Island that allowed the practice of any religion. Anne Hutchinson held meetings in her living room preaching her own version of religion. She got exiled and moved to Rhode Island. Also Thomas Hooker founded Connecticut because he was unhappy with the way John Winthrop and the Separatists were running the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Although Connecticut was mostly Puritans, they tolerated other religions. In fact, their colony was so successful that they wrote the first constitution, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.
Another obstacle America went through was Britain’s unjust laws. Britain wanted more profit from the colonies. They passed the Navigation Acts which restricted trade between the colonies and other nations. The Molasses Act of 1733 imposed a tax on molasses also angered the colonists. And the Currency Act of 1751 created tension because it regulated paper money issued by the colonies.