3 Colonies

There were various reasons why the American Colonies were established. The three most important themes of English colonization of America were religion, economics, and government. The most important reasons for colonization were to seek refuge, religious freedom, and economic opportunity. To a lesser degree, the colonists sought to establish a stable and progressive government.

Many colonies were founded for religious purposes. While religion was involved with all of the colonies, Massachusetts, New Haven, Maryland, and Pennsylvania were established exclusively for religious purposes.

The people in the Carolinas made a large profit off of sugar from Barbados, which attracted many settlers from all different cultures and increased the population. Migration and immigration between other colonies and the Carolinas was common because of the economic success of sugar. Puritans from Massachusetts and Catholics from Maryland came to share in the wealth of the Carolinas. Unlike any colony so far, the Carolinas was the only one that accepted all religious faiths, not just Christian faiths. Pennsylvania, as said before, started out exclusively as a religious refuge.

However, to ensure the economic survival of the colony, all faiths were accepted in Pennsylvania. The Quakers were open minded pacifists and almost immediately Quakers came from all over (not just from England). Due to the immigration of Quakers from other countries, cultural diversity and differences in ethnicity were present. The main cultures that inhabited Pennsylvania were French, English, Dutch, and German.
Government was also important in the founding of English colonies in the New World. With each colony, the government and idea of democracy progressed. With a weak and unpredictable government first established in Virginia, the American colonists gradually advanced to a more democratic government. However, even the most democratic government was a far cry from the pure democracy we enjoy