Motivations for Emigration to the New World

As it continued to grow, colonial America stood as a terrific opportunity for those poor Englishmen seeking a way out of economic and religious turmoil. Depression created chronically unemployed drifters across the countryside. Takeover of national power by the Church of England led to unfair treatment of other religious sects. But was it economic of social concerns that pulled more British citizens away from their homeland and toward the dangerous, uncharted Americas? In my opinion, more migration was directly linked to the yearning for wealth and the escape of poverty than the wish for a safer religious environment. It is true that many colonies, Plymouth and New Hampshire for example, were founded with religious freedom as a main ideal. However, the success of virtually every American industry sparked excitement in the hearts of penniless Englishmen, and was in fact the more influential draw to the New World. To begin, English colonization would have never occurred if not for England's own economic concerns. The glories of the Spanish empire embarrassed England. Spain had been the dominating exploring and colonizing power of the European world for all of the sixteen century, the American southwest and Florida being their major investments. An outstanding amount of gold had been acquired by Spanish conquest, especially after the fall of the Aztec stronghold Tenochtitlan at the hand of conquistador Hernan Cortes in 1521. England's confidence as a naval power was boosted by Queen Elizabeth's defeat of the "invincible" Spanish Armada in 1588. Want of land, money, and power prompted support for the first English colony in America, Jamestown. England hoped to acquire gold as the Spanish had, not taking into consideration the g... ... middle of paper ... ...ew England to distill into more rum. This was referred to as "triangle trade", and though it was not particularly profitable for the colonies as a whole, it could be extremely lucrative for individuals and was yet another example of the many thriving economies created by British colonization. In conclusion, the many different industries of the English colonies created a stable economy that prompted a tremendous boom in immigration to colonial America. In the beginning, England was drawn to colonization for the economic benefits. Once colonies had been established, settlers were enticed by America's growing economic opportunities. As migration decreased, new industries still developed as slavery increased. I believe this proves that although a yearning for religious tolerance was abundant in the colonies, America's promising economy led to its growth and success.