England was the last of the large European empires to begin their exploration of the New World. Their desire to discover new land spawned from their need for raw goods that was currently threatening to throw their economy out of balance, their victory in the Anglo-Spanish War which gave them the courage to challenge Spain, their need to find unsettled land for their younger population and their want to spread Protestantism (Schultz, 32). English settlement of North America began in 1585 with Sir Walter Raleigh and his settlement of Roanoke. Roanoke did not succeed as a settlement but Raleigh learned that Spain’s conquistador model of quick riches was not a correct model for English success. In order to succeed, England would have to setup settlements based on a model of plantations and agriculture. Raleigh also discovered that this type of exploration and attempt at colonization would need to be funded on a larger scale. Joint stock companies were …show more content…
“Each region had a unique economy based on its geographical location and its founding ideology, and each region’s society developed in response to those two factors” (Schultz, 61). New England, which now consisted of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, developed into an area of many small to moderately sized towns. They cultivated a few different types of crops including grains, cereals and fruits. In addition to their farming they raised livestock, fished and gathered lumber. They began a shipbuilding industry in response to their massive lumber supply. The largest group of New England settlers was the natural aristocracy followed by the middle class of farmers and artisans, the laborers and then slaves. “New England consisted mostly of stable, agriculturally based families, an expanding economy that led to the growth of some cities, and a rapid westward migration to accommodate the growth of the population” (Schultz,