Colonialism was one factor that played a role in shaping the identity of America. European countries forced Africans to come to America as slaves, which is a form of colonialism. This changed the demographic of America, increasing the number of African Americans, consequently changing the identity of America. Colonialism also affected the number of immigrants that were allowed to come to America. European countries required immigrants to come to the new world with charters. Without charters, more people would have been able to immigrate to colonial America, thus changing the size and the identity of America. Although colonialism did not play as big of role as geography or religion, it still made a major difference in the shaping of America’s identity.
Geography was the most important factor in shaping the identity of colonial America. First of all, the geography of North America led immigrants to settle along rivers, and the ocean. Colonists settled along rivers and the ocean for a variety of reasons. In the 17th century, people in Virginia settled along the ocean and rivers. Back then,