Leaving England for the New World

Leaving England for the New World

Most of the settlers who came from Europe to America in the 17th century were English. There were also Dutch, Swedes and Germans in the middle region, a few French and African Slaves in the South, and a variety of Spaniards, Italians and Portuguese throughout the colonies. This was bringing an end to England being the chief source of immigration. Thousands of refugees fled continental Europe to escape the path of war. Many left their homelands to avoid the poverty induced by government oppression. Relatively few colonists had the money to cover the costs of their passage to the new world. The Virginia and Massachusetts Bay Companies would finance their voyage in exchange for the settlers agreeing to work as contract workers. Coming to the New World was not an easy task. For the most part it was an immense struggle. Early Literary writers like John Smith, William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, and J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur mostly wrote concerning religious explanations for the dangers and challenges of colonial life. In this paper I will focus on their views of the old world that they longed for, the advantages of the new land, and their attitude’s toward the old world.

John Smith was born during 1579 in Willoughby, Lincolnshire. Smith was an English colonizer in North America who helped establish Jamestown, Virginia. Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement. During the five months of Smith’s voyage over to the New World, he longed for a place of relief like a tavern or a beer house. He wanted anything other than the kettle. The food situation on the vessel was extremely poor. They were given half a pint of wheat and as much barley boil for a man a day. This type of diet and continuous labor in extreme heat caused the men to become weakened and miserable.

Since Smith and his men were the first colony in the New World there were not too many advantages except to escape path of war or to avoid poverty...