Isabelle Blouin
9/7/16
American Studies Essay
England's Fight for Freedom
Freedom in England before the 1700s was not prevalent. There was no equality between the social classes and no similar rights. To have any sort of status or privileges, one must be wealthy, own land, or be a descendent of royalty. The lack of equality among the people brought on many challenges such as economic struggles and the lack of respect people had for one another.
Landowners, the wealthy, and those considered royalty ruled the country of England. Owning land, having wealth or being born into royalty gave English men control over labor and also gave them the right to vote. They were considered “free”. However, land had little value without labor. This caused many lower class citizens to become slaves or work for little income. These citizens had no rights and were controlled by their land lords. They were also not seen as part of their community. Towards the end of the 16th century, the Enclosure Movement was put into play. The Enclosure Movement is defined as the act of closing off farms owned by lower class citizens. Unfortunately, these citizens relied on their farms for food and money. After taking this away from them, they truly had …show more content…
Thousands of people left England traveling to North America, also known as the New World. Many migrated to the Chesapeake area where they found work in the tobacco industry. Also, mostly families and young people migrated over to New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania areas with nothing to loose. They were ready to work and make a name for themselves as free people. There were also emigrants who came over to America as “indentured servants”. This means that they agreed to give up approximately 5-7 years of their lives to working as a slave. After their service was over, they would become free people just like the rest of the
9/7/16
American Studies Essay
England's Fight for Freedom
Freedom in England before the 1700s was not prevalent. There was no equality between the social classes and no similar rights. To have any sort of status or privileges, one must be wealthy, own land, or be a descendent of royalty. The lack of equality among the people brought on many challenges such as economic struggles and the lack of respect people had for one another.
Landowners, the wealthy, and those considered royalty ruled the country of England. Owning land, having wealth or being born into royalty gave English men control over labor and also gave them the right to vote. They were considered “free”. However, land had little value without labor. This caused many lower class citizens to become slaves or work for little income. These citizens had no rights and were controlled by their land lords. They were also not seen as part of their community. Towards the end of the 16th century, the Enclosure Movement was put into play. The Enclosure Movement is defined as the act of closing off farms owned by lower class citizens. Unfortunately, these citizens relied on their farms for food and money. After taking this away from them, they truly had …show more content…
Thousands of people left England traveling to North America, also known as the New World. Many migrated to the Chesapeake area where they found work in the tobacco industry. Also, mostly families and young people migrated over to New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania areas with nothing to loose. They were ready to work and make a name for themselves as free people. There were also emigrants who came over to America as “indentured servants”. This means that they agreed to give up approximately 5-7 years of their lives to working as a slave. After their service was over, they would become free people just like the rest of the