Problems in American Democracy | Page 6

when in 1609 Henry Hudson discovered
the river which bears his name. Trading posts were soon established in
the neighborhood, and in 1621 the West India Company was given full
authority to plant colonies in New Netherland. A brisk trade in furs
developed, but though the Company grew rich, the colonists were not
satisfied. The agriculturists along the Hudson had the benefit of a fertile
soil and a genial climate, but they operated their farms under a feudal
land system which allowed an overlord to take most of their surplus
produce. Moreover, the Dutch governors were autocratic, and the
settlers had little voice in the government of the colony. Loyalty to
Holland waned as the Dutch saw their English neighbors thriving under
less restrictive laws and a more generous land system, so that when in
1664 the colony passed into the possession of the English, the majority
of the settlers welcomed the change.
8. ENGLAND.--The Spanish had been in the New World a century
before the English made any appreciable impression upon the continent
of North America. In 1583 Sir Humphrey Gilbert had made an

unsuccessful attempt to found a colony on the coast of Newfoundland,
and a few years later Sir Walter Raleigh's venture at Roanoke Island
proved equally disastrous. Colonization was retarded until 1588, in
which year England's defeat of the Spanish Armada destroyed the sea
power of her most formidable rival. The English may be said to have
made serious and consistent attempts at colonization only after this
event.
Like France, England desired to set herself up as a successful
colonizing rival of Spain. Impelled by this motive, the earlier English
adventurers sought treasure rather than homes. But the high hopes of
the early English joint stock companies were not justified. Those who
had looked to America for treasure were disappointed: no gold was
forthcoming, and such groups as the Jamestown settlers of 1607 very
nearly perished before they learned that America's treasure- house
could be unlocked only by hard work. In spite of heavy investments
and repeated attempts at colonization, these first ventures were largely
failures.
9. THE COMING OF THE HOME-MAKER.--It may truly be said that
the seeds of national greatness were not planted in America until
home-making succeeded exploitation by governments and joint stock
companies. Home- making received little or no encouragement in the
early Spanish, French, and Dutch colonies. Almost from the first,
England allowed her colonies a large measure of self-government, but
it is significant that these colonies made little progress so long as they
were dominated by joint stock companies intent upon exploitation. It
was only when individuals, and groups of individuals, settled
independently of the companies that the colonies began to thrive. The
first really tenacious settlers on the Atlantic seaboard were groups of
families who were willing to brave the dangers of an unknown land for
the sake of religious freedom, economic independence, and a large
share of self-government. It was with the coming of these people that
our second condition of national greatness was fulfilled.
10. GROWTH OF THE ENGLISH COLONIES.--The English
annexation of New Netherland in 1664, and the concessions of the
French in 1763, left the English in undisputed possession of the greater
part of the Atlantic seaboard. The English colonies in this area grew
with astonishing rapidity. Cheap land, religious freedom, and the

privilege of self-government attracted settlers from all parts of northern
Europe. At the close of the seventeenth century there were 260,000
English subjects in North America; in 1750 there were approximately
1,000,000; and in 1775 there were probably 3,000,000.
Although in most sections the dominant element was of English
extraction, other nationalities contributed to the population. Along the
Delaware, Swedes were interspersed with the English, while in
Pennsylvania there were large groups of Germans. Numerous Dutch
settlers had continued to live along the Hudson after New Netherland
had passed into English hands. Some of the most frugal and industrious
of the settlers of Georgia and South Carolina were French Huguenots,
while along the seaboard and inland the Scotch-Irish were found
scatteringly in agriculture and trade. Such was the composition of the
people who were destined to begin an unexampled experiment in
democracy, an experiment upon the successful termination of which
rests our chief claim to national greatness.
QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT
1. What is meant by civilization?
2. What two conditions must be fulfilled in order that a nation may
become great?
3. In what way does America fulfill the first condition?
4. Discuss the character of the early Spanish colonization.
5. What were the chief reasons for the failure of the French in
America?
6. What were the chief defects of the Dutch colonial system in
America?
7. Compare the earlier English colonization with that of Spain, France,
and Holland.
8. When were