08
Sep
1. Colonial Foundations: English, Scots-Irish, and Early Northern Europeans (1607–1775)The initial significant influx of immigration kicked off with English colonists settling in Jamestown back in 1607, persisting all through the colonial period. By the year 1775, approximately 2.5 million European inhabitants populated the thirteen colonies, with the vast majority hailing from England, Scotland, Wales, and the border regions of Northern Ireland. Additionally, substantial numbers of Germans made their way over, settling notably in Pennsylvania.This wave established core legal, political, and cultural frameworks. English common law, representative assemblies, and Protestant religious traditions became foundational. Agricultural expansion, maritime trade, and frontier settlement…
