Diversity in American Colonies - 3399 Words

Diversity in the American Colonies: The Formation of English, Native American, African and German Identities Colonial North America was a multifaceted melting pot of diversities. The amalgamation of different ethnicities, races, cultures and religious organizations created a circumstance in which the identities of the English, Native Americans, Africans and Germans were far from static. The interactions between these four groups helped to build the history of North America, and as such it is pertinent to understand the evolution of their identities. While old world traditions and increased interaction with cultural outsiders predominantly shaped the identities of English colonizers, religious appropriation and reinterpretation†¦show more content†¦10 This plan was exclusive and thus provoked English backlash, which fortified their sense of sodality. English colonizers brought old world traditions into the new world and strengthened their respective communities in order to pr otect their cultural identity in the colonies. For the English, immigration into the colonies meant facing one’s inessentiality; the colonies had high rates of mortality and weakly structured economies.11 Faced with their dispensability, settlers discovered new means to retain their cultural identities. For example, Quakers â€Å"rejected institutions of high culture and made virtues of simplicity and hard work in a hostile environment.† 12 They transplanted their theological cultural inheritances into colonial society and were able to perpetuate that facet of their identity in the colonies. The solidification of their communities was vital to the survival of their identities. For Scots, maintaining close relationships with prominent Scots in other colonies emphasized a Scottish identity, even across colonial borders.13 Maintaining relationships equated sustenance of old world culture through social interactions. Additionally, English colonizers solidified their commu nity by placing a strong importance on trust. â€Å"Among persons for whom doubt replaced basic trust in the way of one’s social group, such doubt may undermine theShow MoreRelatedThe Identity Of The American Revolution1527 Words   |  7 PagesThe identity of the American colonists prior to the American Revolution was still work in progress because there were certain events that helped shape their identity and led to the American Revolution. The American colonies were trying to break away from the British control because they wanted to become independent and be their own nation. 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