Most people who came to the British colonies in the 1600s were English. Others came from The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, France, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. By 1690, 250,000 people lived in the New World. By 1790, there were 2.5 million people.
People came for different reasons. Some left their homes to escape war. Others sought political or religious freedom. Some had to work as servants to pay back the cost of their trip before gaining their freedom. Some, like black Africans, arrived as slaves.
1) political 政治的
2) religious 宗教的
3) servant 仆人 雇员
In time, the 13 colonies developed within three distinct regions.
The first settlements were along the Atlantic coast and on rivers that flowed into the ocean. In the Northeast, trees covered the hills and stones filled the soil, but water power was available. The Northeast was called New England, and it included Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. The economy was based on timber, fishing, shipbuilding, and trade.
1) soil 土地
2) timber: trees that produce wood used for building or making things
The middle colonies included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland. The weather was milder and the countryside was more varied. People worked in industry and agriculture. The society was more diverse and sophisticated. People living in New York came from all over Europe.
1) diverse: very different from each other
2) sophisticate：having or showing a lot of experience and knowledge about the world and about culture, art, literature, etc.
The Southern colonies included Virginia, Georgia, and North Carolina and South Carolina. The growing season was long and the soil was fertile. Most people were farmers. Some owned small farms that they worked themselves. The wealthy farmers owned large plantations and used African slaves as workers.
1) fertile 肥沃 富庶
2) plantation 庄园
The relationships between settlers and Native Americans (also called Indians) were good and bad. In some areas, the two groups traded and were friendly. In most cases, as the settlements grew bigger, the settlers forced the Indians to move.
1) force :to make someone do something they do not want to do
As time went on, all the colonies developed governments based on the British tradition of citizen participation. In Britain, the Glorious Revolution of 1688–1689 limited the power of the king and gave more power to the people. The American colonists closely observed these changes. Colonial assemblies claimed the right to act as local parliaments. They passed laws that limited the power of the royal governor and increased their own authority.
1) participation 参与
2) royal governor 皇权
3) authority 权利
Disagreements between the royal governors and the assemblies continued. The colonists realized that their interests often were different from Britain’s interests. At first, the colonists wanted self-government within a British commonwealth. Only later did they want independence.
1) interest 利益
2) commonwealth 联邦