The First English Colonies In The New World

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Colonization of the New World by the English, First Settlement in the New World

The English’s first encounter with the new world “Novus Mundus” was in 1497, just few years after Spain’s. John Cabot sailed the northeastern coast of North America, seeking to reach the orient through the New World, his voyage was unsuccessful. It was more than a hundred years before the English started colonizing and establishing themselves in the new world. The reason why English started to think about settling in the new world was because of wars and religious strife that were occurring in their own land. The economic needs were also great, because of the growing demand of wool, most of the crop fields were turned into fields to pastures for sheep. The food supply was decreasing as the population was growing; to some English the New World started to sound like a good place to go.
Because England got such a late start in the colonization game, they couldn’t just set up their colonies wherever they wanted. Spain dominated South America, Mexico, the West Indies, the American Southwest, and Florida. The French held sway along North America’s major waterways. In addition, the dense forests and occasionally hostile Native American tribes prevented English settlers from moving westward past the Appalachian Mountains. The early English settlements were therefore concentrated along the eastern coast of North America.



The first English settlement in the New World was called “Jamestown” and it was located in Virginia. It is important to note that before this settlement the English had begun to settle, yet all of these efforts failed. The 105 original Jamestown colonists were all men. Jamestown was a business venture, not a place to raise a family. The colonists focused all their efforts on getting rich, neglecting to tend to any sort of agriculture. As a result, more than half of the colonists died of starvation within the first year. O...