Unit 2: The Colonial Period - Discussion Questions

U.S. History Skillbook

Discussion Questions

1. In the early seventeenth century, what conditions in England “pushed“ people towards the North American colonies?
2. What hardship did the early colonists in British North America face? How did these challenges shape the character of the people?
3. Why was there a labor shortage in the colonies? How did the English try to solve it?
4. What economic activities developed in the various regions? Compare and contrast economic life in New England, mid-Atlantic, and Chesapeake colonies.
5. Why were relations with Native Americans often so troubled and violent? Was the clash inevitable? Why or why not?
6. How did religious beliefs affect the development of the colonies from 1607 to 1763?
7. What patterns of political development emerged in the colonies? How were these similar to and different from English political life?
8. Why did the slave system evolve in the middle of the seventeenth century?
9. How did the development of colonial assemblies in the eighteenth century set the stage for a “crisis of empire“ in the 1770s?
10. Why do you think no new colonies were settled after 1734 in British North America?
11. If you were a British official in the colonies in 1754, how would you describe colonial attitudes to the government in England?
12. How were colonial problems in 1754 different when compared to 1660’s problems?