Final answer:
The enclosure movement in Great Britain led to the displacement of peasants who sought new opportunities in English colonies, causing significant demographic changes. Indentured servitude and the slave trade also contributed to the labor force and population growth in the colonies.
Step-by-step explanation:
The enclosure movement began in Great Britain, significantly altering the agricultural landscape. Landowners started enclosing formerly communal lands for individual use, predominantly to transition from agriculture to livestock raising. This movement initially displaced many peasants, leading to a mass migration into urban areas as they sought employment and housing. These social and economic shifts resulted in a part of the population experiencing extreme poverty.
England, facing increased population and poverty, promoted emigration to its colonies as a relief valve. Consequently, throughout the seventeenth century, thousands of English migrants arrived in colonies such as Virginia, Maryland, and New England, seeking new opportunities. This migration was further fueled by economic pressures such as rising land costs, stagnant wages, and the transformation of communal lands into privately owned enclosures.
Colonists also included large numbers of indentured servants who provided labor in the colonies in exchange for the promise of land or money after their service. The demand for labor to grow cash crops also led to increased reliance on enslaved Africans, profoundly influencing demographic changes in the colonies. Despite the challenges, many indentured servants established comfortable lives post-service, and the colonial population continued to grow significantly by the mid-1700s.