The Spanish were among the first Europeans to explore （开拓）the new world and the first to settle in what is now the United States. By 1650, however, England established (确立）a dominant presence on the Atlantic coast. The first colony （殖民地）was founded at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. Many of the people who settled in theNew Worldcame to escape religious persecution. The Pilgrims, founders of Plymouth, Massachusetts, arrived in 1620.In both Virginia and Massachusetts , the colonists flourished（繁荣，兴旺） with some assistance （帮助）from Native Americans. New World grains （粮食，谷物）such as corn kept the colonists from starving while, in Virginia, tobacco（烟草） provide a valuable cash （现金）corp. By the early 1700s enslaved Africans made up a growing percentage of the colonial population（人口）. By 1770. More than 2 million people lived and worked in Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies.

         British colonization of the America（including colonization under the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union) began in the late 16th century, and reached its peak（顶峰） after colonies were established in North, Central and South America and in the Caribbean. The British were one of the most important colonizers of the America and their American empire came to rival （竞争，匹敌）the Spanish American colonies in extent（广度，宽度，范围）.

         This British conquest（征服） caused dramatic upheaval upon the indigenous civilization in America both directly though British military force and indirectly though cultural disruption and introduced European diseases. Though many of the indigenous societies had a developed warrior(武士） class and long history of warfare, they were not able to withstand the superior British force and eventually succumbed. Many of the conquered peoples vanished.

          After the American Revolutionary War, British territories in theAmericaswere granted more responsible government until they were prepared for independence.