Question

Explanation? Why was there conflict between Piedmont and Tidewater residents? How did events here foreshadow the eventual fight for America independence?

Answer 1

First Question:

The conflict of Tidewater vs Piedmont was a result of the various different waves of immigrants to the US. Early English settlers who first arrived in Virginia settled in the areas near the ocean (Tidewater), which had a richer soil and allowed them to produce more crops and generate better revenue. Later immigrants, both from Europe and from other regions in the US, were left with the area of Piedmont, closer to the mountains.  The heavy clay made it difficult to farm, creating inequalities between the two regions.

Second Question:

These events foreshadowed the eventual Revolutionary War in two main ways:

1. It provided evidence of how the immigration experience could be so different for each wave of people. Closer to the Revolutionary War, recent immigrants felt a stronger attachment to England, while older gentry already well established in the country felt more American. Also, the differences in income meant that well-off Americans were more interested in governing themselves, as opposed to being taxed by a foreign power.

2. It highlighted issued of territory and division, in particular after the split of Virginia. These issues would become very significant after independence.