Scarce Land In 17th Century England

In America, land was abundant and appeared very attractive to a lot of rich Englishmen. Due to overpopulation in the 17th century, land was scarce in England and owning property was considered a sign of wealth. In fact, it was the most important source of wealth for Englishman because through the land they could hold and produce more wealth through products such as tobacco and rice. Scarce land in England was becoming a serious problem due to overpopulation and the weathering out of the land there. “New land was necessary because the land in England was worn out, tired and corrupted; a corruption which had infected man himself.” (Hannan) Many wealthy men contributed to the Headright System in order to gain land. In return, an indentured servant