Religious freedom, economic security, and the allure of a second chance drew thousands of settlers away from their European homeland to the shores of what would one day become the United States. Under their tireless watch, new colonies were established, new traditions, customs, and practices cultivated. This captivating volume profiles many of the individuals who sought to fulfill the promise of the New World, from explorers to religious and political leaders to writers who captured the spirit of the time, as well as those native inhabitants who strove both to preserve their ways of life and to peacefully coexist with the new settlers.