When North America was discovered at the end of the 15th century, its territories attracted the particular attention of European colonists. Thus, by the 16th century, when several states claimed their rights on the land, French, English, and Basque fishing fleets regularly visited the continent’s coasts from Cape Cod to Newfoundland (Library of Congress par. 1). Besides fishing, Europeans received furs exchanging them with local people for manufactured products. Therefore, it is possible to assume that resources were the primary trigger of North American colonial development.
This notion is supported by the fact that since the end of the 16th century, European presence had been planned to be permanent. In the 17th century, England, the Netherlands, and France established their settlements in order to “increase their wealth and broaden their influence over world affairs” (America’s Story par. 1). The necessity to strengthen their positions through the colonization could be explained by the loss of Europe’s positions in the Asian market as the rise of the Ottoman and Mongol Empires threatened and limited the trade (National Geographic par. 1). That is why newly founded colonies in North America aimed to trade and produce goods according to their countries’ financial ambitions. In other words, colonies provided rice, tobacco, beaver furs, fish, and indigo for home countries and used lumber for the development of shipbuilding.
Moreover, the development of colonies was impacted by the oppression of Native Americans. While European colonists initially collaborated and traded with them, control over indigenous people’s territories was regarded as more profitable. While the Europeans were less numerous, the success of their invasion was presupposed by more efficient weaponry and the introduction of European diseases unfamiliar to Native Americans. At the same time, the population of colonies was rapidly growing, contributing to their development as well.
In particular, the growth of the colonists’ population had three major sources. The first one is slavery, as the Europeans brought a large number of African Americans as free labor for new territories. Another source is immigration and sending people, such as political prisoners and convicts, to North America against their will (Britannica par. 2). Finally, the population was growing as it was prolific due to the availability of land that stimulated marriages and big families.
At the same time, the settlement patterns of North American colonies in the 16th – 18th centuries were uneven. At the end of the 16th century, the European population in North America included the English in the midland, the French in the north, the Dutch, and Spanish in the south, and the bands of Swedes and Finns (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History par. 8). However, in the middle of the 17th century, the English constituted up to 90% of colonies’ population and dictated their development (The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History par. 8). However, in the 18th century, North America could be regarded as a melting pot due to Scottish, Germans, Africans, and other ethnicities arrived and Native Americans who were partially integrated into a new society.
To conclude, several factors determined North American colonialism’s development. First of all, European trade in the Asian market had been limited, and countries were looking for new financial opportunities. The availability of land and resources on a new continent triggered its expansion, as well as the oppression of indigenous people and the growth of population due to immigration, slavery, and giving birth. At the same time, settlement patterns were uneven – regardless of the dominance of the English, colonies finally turned into a melting pot of various ethnicities and cultures.
Works Cited
Colonial America (1492-1763). America’s Story, Web.
American Colonies. Britannica, 2022, Web.
U.S. History Primary Source Timeline: Overview. Library of Congress, Web.
European Colonization of North America. National Geographic, Web.
Colonization and Settlement, 1585–1763. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.