Ap Us History Dbq (sample)

DBQ, AP US HISTORY

“Throughout the colonial period, economic concerns had more to do with the settlement of British North America than did religious concerns.”

The 13 colonies were created for two main reasons, religioin and economic gain. Religion was a very important issue to the British colonies. Nevertheless, it was not the main reason the British were so eager to colonize America. Their main concern was glorifying the British Empire through economic gain.

The British were very concerned about making money off the colonies. The primary reason for Roanoke was to earn money. The foremost goal for the British of settling the Americas was to grow crops, hunt animals, and find precious metals. These products, once obtained by the colonies, would promptly be shipped to Britain. They would then transform these raw materials into manufactured goods, which would then be sold back to America for a hearty profit. They also imposed many taxes and rules specifically designed to earn a profit. They also placed several trade blocks to prevent the American colonies from trading with anyone else. Another law set in place to economically benefit the British was the Stamp Act. This was a law imposed by the British on the American colonies that set a tax on all legal documents. Taxes were set on items ranging from land contracts and playing cards. Basically, the British had set up a very economically beneficial system for themselves. When the Americans tried boycotting the English goods, Britain took military action. This