Why Europeans Left

The first people to come over to America were those aiding Christopher Columbus in his search for a new route to Asia. About 150 years after Columbus' trip to America, the Native American population decreased by around 80% because of massacres, diseases, and other things caused by immigrants. Noticing that the Spanish were becoming somewhat wealthy down South from the Natives, the first two Englishmen to settle permanently in the New World settled in Jamestown, Virginia. They were sponsored by large stock companies in the idea that they were going to get rich and hopefully find a pass through America to the Indies.

A large portion of immigrants was indentured servants, or people who served the people that they had a debt with to pay it off. They came over with the hope that they could start over. People in America were in need of servants for their farms and stuff and so they would pay passage for someone to come from Europe if they served them several years.

Religion was a big reason why people immigrated. In America, they could practice whatever religion they wanted and not be persecuted for it. Some religious groups immigrated and made their own colonies. The rulers of England made crazy religious rules and things and so people left to get away from all the nonsense.

Africans were brought into America as slaves. There were so many Africans brought over that the use of Native Americans as slaves was less common. Poor Europeans were brought to America to work as indentured servants as well.

Those are reasons why the Europeans left their homes for a New World.

Jamestown, Virginia

Christopher Columbus

Sources:

http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/becomingamer/growth/text4/text4read.htm

(several different links on the same website)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_colonization_of_the_Americas

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