There were several reasons for Europeans to migrate to America. Religious freedom, mercantilism, and adventure are a few of the main reasons for emigration. Some came from aristocratic families and gained charters from kings to embark on their journeys. Some saw the colonization and migration to America as a necessity and some saw it as an opportunity. Along with this colonization they brought with them different ideas of how to take advantage of the new environments and differing ideas of economics. One thing all the migrations and emigrations required was labor.
Many English sought religious freedom, being almost driven from their homes by the staunch Anglicans of England. Catholics migrated to America because they felt oppressed in England and would not have a fair chance at life if they stayed. Upon arrival to the new world, many colonies provided writs for freedom of worship to all Christians. Some groups took this freedom and ran with it setting up their own churches and striking out on their own as a sub-colony. The “separatists” wanted to come to America so they could spread “the gospel of the Kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world.” The Puritans, who were out to live holistic, meaningful lives just wanted to be left alone to worship and live. Almost all Christian churches in the new world were given the same opportunities to advance and worship as they saw fit as a congregation.
The search for wealth and supplies to provide for both the people already in America and the European countries that sponsored them was a constant. The colonials were always searching and gathering, waiting for the next ship to come in to port. Unlike the Spaniards, the English Governors that were emplaced hoped to provide enough supplies to continue life at their colony with a surplus to sell or ship back to England. Many early Spanish Conquistadors that came to the Americas would gather as much gold and silver as they could and leave, not bothering to set up a permanent camp at any one landing location. They would come to land with whatever supplies they had and once they were extinguished, that was it. They would barter and take advantage of what they found useful but little to no interest in agriculture or sharing culture with the natives that they encountered. It wasn’t until much later, that the Spanish would lay claim to what is now Texas, Arizona, Florida, New Mexico and California and begin an extremely profitable economy. For many adventurers it was a journey at the crown’s expense.
The different economic systems of the North and the South colonies were not as obvious as one might think. The North was able to set up a harbor in the Port of Boston and begin to import and export goods very quickly, the South was able to do so in Charles Town. Both the North and South colonies were able to set up basic and fragile trade agreements with the Natives. In the North the settlers didn’t have as much confrontation with the Natives due to several “plagues” (most likely of Smallpox or fever) that had depopulated the areas they were attempting to colonize. The Southern colonies had to clear much of the land that they chose to live and grow crops on. Some of the Northern colonies were able to move onto pre-cleared lands that were once large Native Villages. The expansion of American colonies was hindered by Natives and the weather in both the North and the South. Obviously the North was decimated by harsh winters and the south by drought and hot summers. The South was first to utilize African slave labor due to the English plantation owner’s size and ego that had both been grown by trade. The North and the South both harvested crops of corn, potatoes, wheat, barley, oats, and lumber along with livestock consisting of cattle and pigs. The one crop that the south seemed to have the monopoly on was tobacco. It seemed to grow better in the south and the Natives there were able to assist the colonists by teaching them how to
