As 17th century England and much of the rest of the world grew and advanced, many people started to notice problems. As a result, they started to immigrate to the New World, America. The three main reasons people came to America were because it offered a better economical situation, some were flat out forced to, and for religious freedom and tolerance.
The first reason many people immigrated to America was because they saw America as a place that offered many economical advantages. As William Penn said in Document 2, America was a place where “labor will be worth more than it is in England…”. This meant that for those who weren’t receiving good wages for their work could come to America and make more money doing the same job. Also, for those who were living in complete poverty in England, America enticed them, through the use of the Headright System, with land, as mentioned in Document 5, for all new immigrants. This offered people the chance at a completely fresh start and the possibility of making a good life for themselves.
Of course, not everyone came to America willingly. Many of those who made the journey to America were slaves from Africa who were forced to come. In the early years of settlement, many people had indentured servants to work for them. These indentured servants were from Europe but couldn’t afford to pay for the trip, so in return for the voyage, food, and shelter upon arrival, they worked as a form of payment. Eventually, all the servants became free and the owners had to find a new means of labor. Therefore, they emigrated slaves from Africa to work for them and effectively perform all the needed labor for a very small price. In Document 1, a slave talks about being taken from Africa saying, “…After being marched to the seacoast…I was put under the decks.”
The Essay on Out Of America A Black Man Confronts Africa By Keith Richburg
Out of America: A Black Man Confronts Africa by Keith Richburg During many years Africa was associated with evergreen forests, unique flora, fauna, sun and diamonds. Keith Richburgs book Out of America disclosed a terrible truth to millions of readers about African continent. After reading this book Africa is no longer associated with safari, lions and wild nature. It is neither about ecological ...
Finally, one of the biggest reason people came to America was religion. They were in search of both religious freedom and tolerance. For example, the Puritans came to America to escape the Church of England, which, to them, was influenced too much by Catholicism. As a result, they left for America in order to, as explained in Document 4, live a pure life away from the evil and corruption in Europe and the church. Also, upon coming to America, they saw a way to spread religion to the Native Americans and do the work of God. Then there were those people who were persecuted for their religious beliefs. They came to America in hopes of freely practicing their beliefs. Their hopes were fulfilled since many of the colonies were greatly based on the idea of religious tolerance.
In conclusion, there are many reasons that people left Europe, and other parts of the world, and immigrated to America. These reasons include economy, slavery, and religion, and it is these purposes that brought thousands of new colonists to America.
