According to Page Smith, what common characteristic did these early immigrants share?

According to Page Smith, what common characteristic did these early immigrants share?

• A. They were all fleeing persecution
• B. They were all wealthy merchants
• C. They were all farmers
• D. They were all political exiles

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that these early settlers were motivated by the desire to escape political oppression and establish their own ways of governing themselves. Page Smith presents them as political exiles—people who left Europe not mainly for wealth or farming prospects, but to flee governments or religious authorities that suppressed dissent and imposed controls on their lives. This motive helps explain why many of them prioritized founding new political institutions in the colonies—things like local assemblies and charters that gave them a voice in governance and a space to practice their beliefs. While other factors like wealth or occupation mattered for some individuals, the common thread Smith highlights is the push to escape political restraint and to seek liberty through settlement in a new land.

The key idea is that these early settlers were motivated by the desire to escape political oppression and establish their own ways of governing themselves. Page Smith presents them as political exiles—people who left Europe not mainly for wealth or farming prospects, but to flee governments or religious authorities that suppressed dissent and imposed controls on their lives. This motive helps explain why many of them prioritized founding new political institutions in the colonies—things like local assemblies and charters that gave them a voice in governance and a space to practice their beliefs. While other factors like wealth or occupation mattered for some individuals, the common thread Smith highlights is the push to escape political restraint and to seek liberty through settlement in a new land.