The East Coast

It was only in the early 17th century that permanent colonies arose in North America. The English founded Jamestown in Virginia. The first tobacco was planted there not long after and it soon became an important export commodity. Then things developed rapidly. More and more colonists arrived in North America from Europe, ravaged as it was by wars, religious disputes and famine. Of course they hoped to find freedom, peace and prosperity in this new country. As the rift between the Anglican church and the Puritans in England widened, a small group of Puritans, hoping to find freedom of religion elsewhere, went to Amsterdam. Later they moved to Leiden, and ultimately they set out for the New World on the ship the Mayflower. They landed in Massachusetts, where they founded the colony of New England. The colonies flourished, but because of the Puritans’ rigid views many colonists went on to found other colonies, such as the colony of Maryland, founded by Catholic colonists.