Summary

European colonization of North America began in earnest from the early 17th century.

European colonization of North America began in earnest from the early 17th century. On the Atlantic Seaboard, English influences were strong and it was these areas of settlement - Puritan New England in the North, the middle colonies focused on New Amsterdam (later New York), and the plantations of Virginia in the South - which became the core of the future United States. As the eastern colonies developed, so there emerged the distinctive style of architecture and decoration known as American Colonial.