No CrossRef data available.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 August 2018
The first parties of colonists set out for North America as early as the beginning of the sixteenth century. They counted on finding gold there, as well as in Central America.
But they were disappointed. On the Atlantic coast of North America they found no gold at this time.
It went hard for the first settlers. Many died of malaria and tropical diseases, and some had to return again to Europe.
Toward the end of the eighteenth century, most colonies in North America belonged to the British; the British first expelled the Dutch, then the French. The Dutch colony of New Amsterdam was taken by the British in 1664. This colony was given to the Duke of York, the brother of the English king, and named New York.
1 “Homestead” — a share of land which, after 1862, any citizen of the U.S.A. could receive who had not taken part in the rebellion against the Union. To receive a homestead it was necessary to pay ten dollars for the registration of the arrangement. After five years the homestead became the property of its owner.