Module 1: American Beginnings - 1607 to the 1750s

You have learned a lot about the birth of America on your journey with Martina and Terrance. America started with the settlement at Jamestown. Although it was a struggle, this original settlement survived and paved a path for future settlements. Many groups of people journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean with the hope of becoming prosperous in the New World. The Southern colonies were settled because business owners saw a chance to prosper in the New World. Others came to the South because they were hoping for a better life than what was offered to them in England. On the same note, several groups left England, as well as other parts of Europe, due to religious persecution and settled the New England and Middle colonies. These settlers spread out along the eastern shore of America, began interacting with American Indians, commenced the act of slavery, and developed the beginnings of direct democracy.