English Americans

English Colonies, Immigration, and Settlement in the United States

After Native Americans, the English were the first to settle what is now the United States. The origins of English colonies in America began in Jamestown, known as Virginia Colony in 1607, and at Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay from 1620 to 1622. Many English men and women were attracted to America and immigrated there for economic opportunities and cheap land. In addition, some were looking for religious freedom; thus, they sought liberation from intolerant religious institutions. The majority of colonies were controlled and managed by the royal administration, which was established by the Church of England in 1776. They created laws—or imposed the English systems of law—that influenced every professional arena, including governmental administration, commercial and financial management, education, agriculture, and entertainment and the arts.

In 1607, Virginia Company sent to America a group of single men who searched for gold in the belief that this would create a profitable trade; however, this did not happen. Agriculture and tobacco growth exports in the 1620s did, however, became profitable. This attracted several thousand English to migrate while England was suffering economically.

According to the 1790 U.S. Census, the English settlers and their descendants comprised 60 percent of total European settlers. They were able to dominate and manage various levels of governmental institutions in the new republic, as reflected in national and state government leaders as well as in their contribution to the new Constitution and the English-style Bill of Rights.

Furthermore, in the 18th and 19th centuries, England—with its government and corporate enterprises—was the number one investor in American land, including heavy industry, mining, railroads, and other diverse, environment-transforming industries. Because of their numbers and influence as a group in the new territory, English American settlers are believed to have had an easy transition into American society compared with other ethnic groups, and they were able to create organizations and institutions that helped them preserve, learn about, and transmit their English traditions and heritage to succeeding and non-English generations. In the 19th century, the English comprised 15 percent of the total European migration to the United States. However, by 1820 and until 1920, people leaving England en route to America had declined to less than 10 percent of migrants to the United States.

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