Colonial Wave (1607-1820)
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The first wave of immigration in the United States began before the United States was even a country! This wave is called the Colonial Wave because it was the period before the American Revolution when the British still had control over America. It lasted from 1607 until the beginning of the 19th century (the early 1800's). It began in 1607 when Jamestown was settled in Virginia by the British. This site was important because it was the first permanent British settlement in America.
Another important and famous group of immigrants that came to America during the Colonial Wave were the Pilgrims! The Pilgrims were a group of people who sought religious freedom and wanted to leave the Church of England. They came over on the Mayflower which left England for America in September of 1620 with 102 passengers. The ship spent 66 days at sea before reaching the east coast of America. However, they sailed off course and settled in Plymouth, Massachusetts instead of Jamestown, Virginia. |
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Then in 1630 a group called the Puritans from England settled and founded the city of Boston. The Puritans were different from the Pilgrims because they did not want to separate from the church but rather wanted to purify the church. They wanted to follow Christianity the way it had been followed when it first began.
During this wave of immigration many people were forced to immigrate to America from Africa. This forceful immigration is known as the Slave Trade. Hundreds of thousands of Africans, mainly from the western coast of Africa, were captured by Europeans, separated from their families, and forced onto ships to America. Once they arrived in American, they were sold into slavery. |
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