Were The English Colonists Of The 17th Century Essay

Question: Were the English colonists of the 17th century motivated more by the pursuit of wealth or faith in their struggle to create a new society in the American colonies?

The English colonists of the 17th century came to the American colonies for many different reasons. The one that motivated them the most was their pursuit of wealth because, despite the early colonists saying that it was their mission as children of God to go to the new world and spread Christianity to more people, the whole idea of going to the new world was to make a profit for England and themselves. This colonization affected many people and eventually led to a war between two very powerful countries. The first colonists came over and landed in Jamestown and ran it as business enterprise, exporting cash crops, rather that growing food to try and survive for a long time there. The people of Jamestown tried to replicate the English way, which was every man for himself, and people weren’t very involved in the community. The colonists focused on growing tobacco, indigo, and sugar to export back to England for a profit, and if one was lucky enough to be a planter, he would manage his own fields
They traded with the Indians for goods that were unique and foreign to the English people. These items sold for a large sum across the sea in England, and the Plymouth Colony benefited largely from these trades. Growing cash crops and trading with the natives was easy for the Plymouth colony because when they settled at Plymouth, they found abandoned native cornfields and other crops that they could use to survive on. With these fields already planted and ready for harvesting, the settlers could focus on paying off the debt they owed to England, and could focus more on increase their own