In comparison with other European colonial powers the English colonialisms is a late one. While the Spaniards had already established vast colonial areas throughout Middle and South America, and the Portuguese had a flowering trade in the eastern hemisphere in the Indian Ocean and even with Japan (Bitterli 52-69), the English only succeeded in settling down on the North American Coast in Jamestown in 1607 and on the Lesser Antilles only in the 1620s and 1630s (Sheridan, 394). These little Islands were firstly colonized by private men “who engaged in growing tobacco, cotton, indigo and ginger for the sale in Europe; and other corps (…) for their own subsistence” (Sheridan 394).
In the early phase of English colonialism, the most crucial reasons …show more content…
Rich investors joined together and founded so called “companies” – the East India Company being one of the best known among them. The seventeenth century saw a lot of foundations of such companies by all European powers. These companies were endowed by the government with specific powers and granted generous rights in the colonial areas (Curtin 78). Private actors therefore helped the government to stem the enormous financial efforts which were necessary to colonize the world beyond the sea. Trading companies for example were licensed to claim land in the name of His or Her Majesty but usually had the right to exploit all commercial possibilities in these lands. The government also granted monopolies to single slave trading companies, in the English case to the English Company of Royal Adventures and the Royal African Company (Egerton 195). The Royal African Company therefore was responsible for the shipping of enormous numbers of African slaves into the Carbic. The colonies were also forbidden to conduct slave trade with other slave trading companies than the English ones. This development not seldom produced complaints of their own settlers and militarily conflicts between the European powers in the colonial areas (Sheridan
In the early phase of English colonialism, the most crucial reasons …show more content…
Rich investors joined together and founded so called “companies” – the East India Company being one of the best known among them. The seventeenth century saw a lot of foundations of such companies by all European powers. These companies were endowed by the government with specific powers and granted generous rights in the colonial areas (Curtin 78). Private actors therefore helped the government to stem the enormous financial efforts which were necessary to colonize the world beyond the sea. Trading companies for example were licensed to claim land in the name of His or Her Majesty but usually had the right to exploit all commercial possibilities in these lands. The government also granted monopolies to single slave trading companies, in the English case to the English Company of Royal Adventures and the Royal African Company (Egerton 195). The Royal African Company therefore was responsible for the shipping of enormous numbers of African slaves into the Carbic. The colonies were also forbidden to conduct slave trade with other slave trading companies than the English ones. This development not seldom produced complaints of their own settlers and militarily conflicts between the European powers in the colonial areas (Sheridan