In the 18th century, the most astonishing reality is that the number of people who lived in British America increased greatly. In the early 17th century, the number of citizens who habitated the new world approximated 250.000, but rose to 2 million at the end of the 17th century (page 125). The multiplication of citizens in the colonies signified a society no longer unvaried. It meant the colonial, the people consisted of different groups, races, and religions. The variety of colonists resulted for 2 reasons : natural growth and immigration from outside. (page 125). Surprisingly, the immigrants didn't come from England, but from other parts of Europe, for example Scotland Ireland and as well as Germany. The Scots - Irish contributed …show more content…
New England welcomed immigrants because it needed more labor. In the 18th century, the demand for labor made the population keep growing (page 125).The dreams of paradise and success that the middle colonies promised made Irish and German immigrant go to New England in hopes that they could achieve a rich and wealthy life.
Immigrants who went to the middle colonies such as Pennsyslvania hoped for opportunities that they could not get in their native land. At the end of the 17th century, “about 85,000 Germans had arrived in the colonies” (page 129). They were known as the” Pensylvania Dutch”. Many of them were from southwestern Germany. The damage caused by the French invasion during Queen Anne’s War caused a massive immigration to the middle colonies. Most of them were labourers and farmers, a few were merchants, and several were artisans. They hoped that they could change their horrible life into something happy and productive in the middle colonies. The same reason motivated the Scots - Irish, who came in larger numbers compared to the Germans immigrants. The majority of them came from “northern Ireland, Scotland, and northern England”(page 130). Many of the
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This kind of letter encouraged more people to go to the colonies. The availability of land also encouraged people to migrate and settle, like Mordecai, Abraham Lincoln’s great grandfather, who went to Virginia in the late 17th century. He is one of many farmers who grew a large amount of wheat. For farmers, the grain market business was very attractive. The reason for this attraction is that after 1720 the grain price rose very fast. In the 18th century, the cost of living in Pennsylvania was the highest among all regions. Because of their wealth, they demanded alot of British imports. Philadelphia was the most advanced city exporting wheats and buying British imports. (page 134). At the end of the 17th century, Philadelphia had the largest population of any city in the British empire besides London. The most powerful group of people at that time were the merchants. They were the ones who could vote, build mansions, and influence the government. Most of those merchants were Quakers. The majority of them were non-indulgence,frugal in order to become richer.(page 135). They were also religious and worked toward their
While the Protestant Revolution raged in Europe, Catholics and other radicals were fleeing to the New World to find religious freedom and to escape prosecution. Because of this, the northern colonies became more family and religiously orientated as the families of the pilgrims settled there. From the Ship’s List of Emigrants Bound for New England we see that six families on board made up sixty nine of the ships passengers (B). Not only did families tend to move to New England, but whole congregations made the journey to find a place where they could set up “a city upon a hill”, and become an example to all who follow to live by as John Winthrop put it to his Puritan followers (A). Contrastingly, the Chesapeake colonies only had profit in their mind, which pushed them to become agriculturally advanced. Since Virginia, one of the Chesapeake colonies, was first settled with the intention of becoming an economic power house, it was mainly inhabited by working-class, single men. The average age of a man leaving for the Americas was only twenty two and a half years old according to the Ship’s List of Emigrants bound for Virginia (C). The harsh conditions of the colony did not appeal to those who wished to settle with a family. Added on to that was the fact that the average lifespan in the Chesapeake colonies was a full ten years or more shorter than that in other more desirable living quarters to the north.
In the 17th Century, widespread colonization of the new world was constantly changing the face of the Americas. European power-houses like England, France and Spain were building colonies on every coast line of the new world. The Native Americans were being forced from the lands they called home for many years, and those that wished to stay were being converted to Catholicism or other religious practices. In some parts of the Americas Native Americans were even being pressed into slavery.
It was not until the 1700s that the thirteen colonies finally started to flourish on their own. The east coast of North America was soon booming with success. But the Northern and Southern colonies’ did not take exactly the same routes in order to reach success. The Southern and Northern colonies began to show similarities in immigration and social structure and began to show differences in their economy.
The 18th Century was a time where most immigrants were of Irish, British, and German descent. From the 1890’s, through the next couple decade, Italians, and Jews would be the cause a new wave of immigration. Between 1900 and 1915, 3 million immigrants would take the journey, and travel to America. They would come through the famed “Ellis
The Ulstermen literally had enough of the forced suppression brought forth by their own government, (Who could blame them?), and saw America and its land as a last chance at freedom. Therefore, during the eighteenth century, thousands of Ulstermen fled to American and mainly settled in the Back Country of North Carolina. Along with the Ulstermen who looked for freedom in America, there were the Scottish Highlanders and Pennsylvania Dutch (Germans). All of these "refugees" from different countries approached American life with great optimism and "settled in national groups", with each group "approaching frontier life through its own native temperament." ( p.47).
When the first American settlement on Roanoke Island was established in 1585 it’s primary force, Sir Walter Raleigh, had no idea that this “New World” would evolve into one of the most powerful voices in the modern world. But before it developed it would have to shaped by it’s founders from the Western world. Two of the largest voices in America’s early development are John Smith, who with a group of English merchants, hoped to get rich in this new land, and William Bradford, a puritan farmer who was one of the most influential men involved with the Mayflower compact. In their two pieces they both convey America as a place to escape but fail to reach many other similar conclusions on what America was like at this time.
The new acts of the Colonial Era sparked an enormous disdain between the American colonies, the British Government, and the British Parliament. The British felt that the colonists should be the ones to pay the debt for the protection of the British armies during the French and Indian War. After all, the British were the ones who rid the American soil of French troops in the first place. The colonies strongly disagreed with the British and thought that it was their natural right to go against all rules from those who held a position in power over the lands. So, the British came up with a plan of action against its relationship with the colonists and set forth new acts and new laws for the colonials to follow.
Immigration has always been a major part of America. In fact, without immigration the creation of America would not have been possible. The majority of immigrants came to America for religious freedom and economic opportunities. However, for the most part before the 1870’s most immigrants were Protestants from northern and western Europe. These immigrants often migrated to the United States as families and usually lived on farms with family or friends who had already migrated beforehand. A lot of immigrants came to America with a plan or goal in mind. They often had saved up money for the long immigration overseas, were skilled in a certain trade, or had already been educated at a high level. Sadly, this would not last. Immigration became so prominent in America between 1870 and 1900 that the foreign-born population of the United States had almost doubled. A lot of German and Irish Catholics had immigrated in the 1840’s and 1850’s, and more decided to immigrate after the Civil War. A portion of Americans were biased against Catholics. Thankfully, the Irish spoke English and the German Catholics reputation was improved because of their Protestant countrymen’s good reputation. However, their children often lacked any skill or education, but they were able to blend in quite well with the American society. More and more immigrants would migrate to the United States without any skill or education and on top of that they were usually poor. These immigrants were called “new” immigrants and they came from all over the world including Italy, Greece, Poland, Hungary, and Russia. However, you cannot blame immigrants for migrating to America. Many immigrants faced religious persecution in their home countries which pushed them away, otherwi...
In 1800, somewhat more than five million individuals called America home. By 1900, that number soared to seventy-five million people. A substantial part of this uncommon development can be attributed to European settlers. Europeans hit America 's shores in two diverse waves: "old" and "new." "Old" migrants were the individuals who moved to the United States between the 1820s and 1870s. It was amid this time numerous Britons, Germans, and those of Scandinavian descent arrived in America. These settlers were commonly English speaking, Protestant or Jewish—with the exception of the Irish Catholics—and could mix effectively into American culture. "New" foreigners, did not converge into American society as effortlessly; rather, they confronted an assortment of battles that will be talked about later on in the
The United States experienced major waves of immigration during the colonial era, the first part of the 19th century and from the 1880s to 1920. Many people immigrated to America for
Immigrants came to the United States for different reasons, but Laskin stated the three main reasons were “land, freedom, and hope.” (9) If they immigrated to the United States, they could experience what other immigrants sent letters home about. Most immigrants traveled to the new world with expectations
There were a myriad of differences between Great Britain and her American colonies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but these differences can be divided into three basic categories: economic, social, and political. The original American settlers came to the colonies for varied reasons, but a common trait among these settlers was that they still considered themselves British subjects. However, as time passed, the colonists grew disenfranchised from England. Separated from the king by three thousand miles and living in a primitive environment where obtaining simple necessities was a struggle, pragmatism became the common thread throughout all daily life in the colonies. It was this pragmatism that led the colonists to create their own society with a unique culture and system of economics and politics.
A large influx of immigrants was brought to America between the years of 1830 and 1860. These immigrants came prominently from large European countries, such as the Irish and the Germans, two main immigrant groups that settled in the Americas during this time period. The experiences of these unique nationalities differed in the hardships they faced within their home country and the areas of settlement they chose to inhabit; however, both nationalities were similar through the contributions they made in terms of spreading their cultural practices and establishing a diverse melting pot within the United States that continues to thrive today.
Immigration to America began when Christopher Columbus discovered the new land now called the American continent. Immigration increased in the 17th century when people came from Europe, Africa, and Asia to the new land. There were many colonies, such as the British and Dutch. When people came they go to their people and find jobs as farmers. The first immigrants were in the east coast around 1607 to 1775 after the number of immigrants increased. In 1790 - 1850 there were few immigrants who came to America, but in 1850 to 1930 the number of immigrations increased (Dolan 4).
Until the 1860s, the early immigrants not only wanted to come to America, but they also meticulously planned to come. These immigrants known as the “Old Immigrants” immigrated to America from many countries in Northern and Western Europe, known as, Sweden, Norway, Scandinavia, Wales and Ireland. Some of them traveled to Canada, but most of them came to the U.S. seeking freedom they didn’t get in their own countries. Ireland had also recently suffered through a potato famine, where the citizens were left poor and starving. Most settled in New York City and other large cities, where they worked in factories and other low-paying jobs. The immigrants caused a great increase in population in these areas. The “Old Immigrants” tried not to cluster themselves with others of their own nationality. They would mostly try to fit in with Americans as best as they could. Many of them had a plan to come to America, so they saved their money and resources before they arrived so they could have a chance at a better life. On the other hand, another group of immigrants began to arrive