Europe and Exploration

Europe and Exploration

Along the XVIII century, Europe was crossing a period of expansion and colonization. A lot of empires were competing for power and economic stability between them. Empires begun to colonized other places. They were searching for more resources, and territory. When the first settlers start to immigrate to America religion was brought with them. Roman Catholics were one of the first major religious groups that came to the New World. They were expanded all among the territory of Central, a South America by Portugal and Spain. In the other hand North America settlers (English) were more diverse. They brought with them a lot of religions such as Puritans, Catholics, French Huguenots, German and Swedish Lutherans, as well as Quakers, and Moravians. Many groups of colonists came to the Americas searching for the right to practice their religion without persecution. Catholic religion was fundamental for them, and, at that time religion was very important at the moment of making decisions in these empires. It is unquestionable that religion was a fundamental key in politics from that time.

The English colonization was greatly inspired by the riches that Spain made from colonies founded upon the conquest of the Aztecs, and Incas. A lot of people were brought to America by that myth. They were told they would be very rich and have a lot of properties to start a new life, in the new world! The first English settlers hoped for some of the same discoveries made by Spain when they founded their first permanent settlement in Jamestown, Virginia. The main purpose of this colony was the hope of finding gold. But then some great leaders like John Smith realized that they needed to take care of the essential necessities first, for example, water, food, and shelter. He took a sentence from the New Testament (Holly bible) "he who shall not work shall not eat."

A lot of English people from the countryside were pushed off their lands due to the expansion of livestock raising, and overcrowding in the countryside. They were told to start a better life in the new world. This people when they practically changed their social status to "homeless" needed to work, and the landowners that were living in America needed people to work in their lands, so these landowners made a deal with the poor English people that wanted to come to America. Landowners were willing to pay the passage to America for this people if they served them for several years (5 to 7). This people gladly accept the offer and came to America. They thought that five or seven years working for the landowner was nothing compared to the hope of start out on their own in America. By the time of 17th century, indentured servants (poor people) constituted 3/4 of all European immigrants, and most of them were English, but later on they