Since most of the colonists came from England and since England controlled the colonies, events in England affected the colonies' development.
As an example, let us look at the English civil wars that involved the Puritans, Parliament, and those who backed royal rule. These lasted for about two decades in the mid-1600s. During the time that the civil wars were actually going on, there was very little development of colonies. The English were too busy with the wars to be able to pay much attention or put many resources towards colonization. After the wars ended, however, colonization resumed and the colony of Carolina, for example, was created.