Why Was the Colony of Jamestown Established?

England was one of the latest European powers to attempt to explore the New World. However, several factors helped Englishmen decide to establish colonies in America. Land in England was becoming scarce and, due to the primogeniture nature of the law, only the eldest sons of a family could inherit the land. This caused England to become crowded, so people were going to America in hopes of finding cheap land they could own. This growth in population per square foot of land also led to England sending their criminals and beggars to America as well. Another reason people were coming to the New World was to escape religious persecution. Both Catholics and Protestants felt the Church of England was becoming too oppressive and left in hopes of finding religious freedom. However, after coming to America in hopes of a new society, England was still heavily taxing Americans, and Americans were not given a vote in parliament and did not have accurate representation.