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By the early 1600s the English were ready to enter the colonial scramble. Why? Economic motivations were strong. A vigorous middle class had rise, challenging the social position of the nobles, and providing an active group of merchants who could furnish business leadership and wealth for colonial enterprise. Moreover, the joint-stock company--forerunner of the modern corporation--was now perfected. It had the virtue of enabling a considerable number of investors (adventurers) to pool their capital. England was also burdened with a surplus of population. At least she thought she was with a population of 4 million. The woolen industry was experiencing boom days, and farms were being turned into grazing lands, with the sheep displacing many soil tillers. Catholic monasteries and nunneries, which had formerly cared for the poor, had been seized by the anti-papal Crown. Penniless souls, in hard times, were being turned loose on the country. In the late 1500s the land swarmed with "sturdy beggars and paupers" who might well be dumped in America. English colonization was also profoundly influenced by the Protestant Reformation. Henry VIII of England used the Reformation for his own purposes and broke with Rome and made himself the head of the Church of England. Unhappy Protestants, especially those who felt that their king had not parted company completely with the Papacy, came to book upon America as a more desirable dwelling place for people of their faith. Many persecuted Catholics also regarded America as a possible haven
Go to the following topics to learn more about the settlement of the English colonies and the people and their life in those colonies. Occupations and Customs in Colonial America Differences between Old and New World
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