Colonist (Civ3)/Civilopedia

The New World offered new hope for many Europeans: hope of freedom from religious prosecution for some
(such as the Puritans and Quakers); hope of land ownership for others (all the land in England at the time 
was owned by just 5% of the population); and the hope of riches for many others. The history of settlements
like Jamestown in Virginia make it clear it was not an easy life, but eventually the settlements took hold
and began to flourish. By the 17th Century, the count of colonists having departed for the New World 
topped the one million mark (by 1620 over a quarter of a million colonists had left England alone).