No Affection for England in the American Colonies
No Affection for England in the American Colonies:
Most people who dwelt in the American colonies did not have any special fondness for England because of the following reasons-
(1) A lot of people had settled in the colonies when they were persecuted on religious grounds. They did not have any sympathy with the Church or the British government.
(2) Criminals were deported to colonies. Jailors and judges were encouraged to deport criminals to America instead of keeping them in native jails. The progeny of deported criminals was not expected to have any attachment with England.
(3) In addition to the English, several peoples of European countries had settled in the colonies. Not an iota of sympathy for England could be expected from the heterogeneous population of the colonies.
(4) The English and the Americans were also at variance with one another in the matter of religion. The majority of people in the colonies were Puritans while the English were Anglicans (the followers of the Church of England). Religious diversity too left little love in people for England.
(5) The colonists were brimming with the spirit of equality, whereas, class-differences prevailed in England, and the aristocrats still dominated the society. Trevelyian- a great historian- has rightly stated, “Whereas the English society was orthodox, complex, and artificial; the Americans maintained freshness and simplicity. The Americans had adapted themselves to the new ways of life after relinquishing all their old concepts and practices and they underwent a great transformation to become true ‘Americans’.” Such diversity of character also contributed to people’s disinterest in England.