Characteristics of Immigration and How it Contributed to the Social Development of the Area.
Every immigrant that came to the New World to settle, came for their own reasons. For some, America was a way of escaping persecution by their home countries. For others, it was the opportunity to begin a new life. But for whatever reasons these Europeans immigrated to America, they each contributed to the social development of each of the colonies that they settled in.
For example, when the Quakers began to settle in Pennsylvania, they had hoped to build upon their young and growing lifestyle. In immigrating to the New World, they were able to live by the rules of their belief freely, and able to live with those who lived by the same belief system. By creating communities of Quakers, they were able to create and enforce new rules. As a result, their communities were not run by one person, but by the members of the community.
The Quakers strong belief in friendship and respect for all, made relations with the natives more relaxed and respectful. Although they were newcomers to the New World, they understood that they were not the only ones there. Because of the strong, friendly and respectful connections with the Native Americans, many people traveled to Pennsylvania to settle. But, not all of these new settlers agreed with the Quakers views of equality. This created a turbulence, and ties with natives became jeopardized. Because these people expressed a sense of understanding and acceptance for the people they shared the land with, we can deduce that their social structure was open-minded, and possessed tolerance for individual beliefs and thoughts.
Although the Quakers entrance and settlement in the New World was smooth and respectful, not all of the settlers behaved the same way. For example when the English began to settle in Jamestown, Virginia area. Sent to the New World in search of profitable natural goods, and of course gold and silver, these merchant settlers created the Virginia Company of London.
