British Settlement in American Continent and Regionalism

British Settlement in American Continent and Regionalism

Describe how settlement patterns set-up the regionalisms of the United States.

Throughout history, people from cultures around the world have come to America seeking a new life or a change from their current conditions. They may have come to avoid persecution, to avoid overpopulation, or to attempt to be successful in an entirely new world from the life they formerly knew. As the immigrants arrived, some found that their dreams had been attained. Conversely, some found that the New World was not as fantastic as they were led to believe.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, an influx of British citizens arrived on the shores of America. The arriving British population came from a particular area of Europe, but there was distinct individuality within the group. The diverse British immigrant population would be the first of many groups to add cultural variety to the United States population, for which America continues to be known today. After reading Albion's Seed by David Hackett Fischer, it is apparent that the four major British groups arriving from 1620 to 1776 and their patterns of settlement would shape the development of American regionalisms known throughout the country.

Four major British groups immigrated to America within a span of less than two hundred years. Although they all migrated from the British Isles, each had a distinct set of standards and a very set culture carried from the other side of the Atlantic. Not only were the people of early America diverse, so were the motives for which they migrated to the New World.

The Puritans arrived from 1629 to 1641. This group was a culture devoted to the Bible and following its every word. Because of their extreme beliefs, they had been persecuted in England. Their goal in America was to create a Promised Land based on their beliefs. They moved from the eastern sections of Britain known as East Anglia and settled in New England, primarily in Massachusetts.

The Puritans' influence shaped the New England image to how it is known today. For example, the pattern of settlement of small towns in the New England region was carried over from those of eastern England. These towns were centralized along a main road, with a few farms or homes outside of the village. Even today, this type of town is well known throughout Massachusetts and the other New England states. Another example of well-known New England characteristics concerns their food preference.