EUROPE IN 16th AND 17th CENTURY

• In the 16th century, people earned more money from selling wool than from selling food in England.
• Many of the nation’s landowners were converting farmers’ fields into pastures for sheep which led to shortage of food. Many agricultural workers also lost their jobs.
• Great Britain wanted to establish colonies in America in hopes to find wealth, create new jobs, establishing trade ports and more importantly to counter Spanish.
• The 16th Century was also the age of Mercantilism, as per this policy European nations could acquire as many colonies as they could. Also most parts of North America were business ventures of English colonies.
• Also England’s surplus population felt more religious freedom in America than England did.