Defining Causes of Amer. Revolu. essays

Defining Causes of Amer. Revolu. essays One of the defining points of history was the American Revolution. Endlessly covered in classrooms across the nation, it was a period that affected so many in such a small amount of time. Yet, what were the true causes of the American Revolution? The most basic of reasons are, of course, related to a nations economy. Many wars, even today, are sparked because one country feels it does not have equal trade relations with another and is getting the so-called short-end of the stick. This occurred over two hundred years ago, between England and the colonies, igniting the flame of freedom in the colonists. When the colonies were founded, the only goal England had was to increase the amount of gold in its Treasury. To do this, they needed a balance of trade in their favor. To accomplish this task, merchants used mercantilism in their system of trading with the colonies. Mercantilism is based on the belief that if a country possesses more land, than an increased profit can be made. However, England being an island, there was a set amount of land that could be had. In effect, Englands citizens and its government had to look elsewhere. The gaze turned westward across the Atlantic Ocean, to the New World. After conquering the eastern seaboard, England set about exploiting the natural resources in the colonies. For a time, the colonies shipped raw materials to English factories, who produced goods from these materials, then sold the products to the colonists for an increased price. However, this did not last, as England became increasingly greedy and went about conquering lands in the Far East, such as India, and other islands, such as Australia. England removed much of its influence from the colonies, leaving them with a period of salutary neglect, enabling the colonies to establish trading with many other countries. During this period of prosperity, England came to the realization that it...

An Overview of Territories of the World

An Overview of Territories of the World While there are fewer than two hundred independent countries in the world, there are more than sixty additional territories that are under the control of another independent country. There are several definitions of territory but for our purposes, we are concerned with the most common definition, presented above. Some countries consider certain internal divisions to be territories (such as Canadas three territories of Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon Territory or Australias Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory). Likewise, while Washington D.C. is not a state and effectively a territory, it is not an external territory and thus not counted as such. Another definition of territory usually is found in conjunction with the word disputed or occupied. Disputed territories and occupied territories refer to places where the jurisdiction of the place (which country owns the land) is not clear. The criteria for a place being considered a territory are fairly simple, especially when compared to those of an independent country. A territory is simply a external piece of land claimed to be a subordinate location (in regards to the main country) that is not claimed by another country. If there is another claim, then the territory can be considered a disputed territory. A territory will typically rely on its mother country for defense, police protection, courts, social services, economic controls and support, migration and import/export controls, and other features of an independent country. With fourteen territories, the United States has more territories than any other country. The territories of the U.S. include: American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Wake Island. The United Kingdom has twelve territories under its auspices. The United States Department of State provides a nice listing of more than sixty territories along with the country that controls the territory.