Colonization

In the sixteenth century, Spain and Portugal started to colonize different parts of America. For years they transported gold and other raw materials to Europe. The rumor spread throughout Western Europe and more countries started to look to the west. However, it took almost a century until England established it’s first colony. With several unsuccessful attempts, the English finally successfully settled its first colony in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, led by Sir Walter Raleigh. It took another 30 years until the Puritans settled in New England. Bad economical influence, rising population, lack of jobs and religious persecution forced the English to look for new lands.

Although England was facing religious difficulties and were far behind Spain and Portugal, they were also one of the leading countries in the colonization of the New World. One of the reasons why England had such a big part in the English colonization was because of the Virginia Company. The colonies would never survive without the Virginia Company and their stockholders money. Between 1607 - 1609 over 900 people arrived to Virginia but only a few of them survived from the diseases and starvation. Virginia was named after the English “virgin” queen, Elisabeth; but before they were able to settle, the queen died. Jamestown was named after Elisabeth’s firstborn son, James I who would later on rule England.

The purpose of the settlement in Virginia was to find gold and a passage to China, but once they realized that there were no gold to collect and no route to China, the investors became very disappointed. However, this was about to change, once they realized that the seed around Chesapeake Bay was ideal for growing tobacco plants. Tobacco was very popular in Europe and they made huge profits by shipping it cross the Atlantic. By the mid 1620s, they shipped over 200,000 pounds, and by 1700 they shipped approximately 35 million pounds to Europe. Even though James I, who ruled England wasn’t found...