First Non-Native American Settlers in America Came From: Europe

Correct Answer: B. Europe

The first **non-Indigenous** settlers in what became the United States came from **Europe**—primarily **England, France, Spain, and the Netherlands**—starting in the **late 16th and early 17th centuries**.

Key Early Settlements

• St. Augustine, FL (1565) – Spanish (oldest continuously inhabited European settlement in US).
• Roanoke, NC (1587) – English (Lost Colony).
• Jamestown, VA (1607) – English (first permanent English settlement).
• Quebec City (1608) – French (Canada).
• Santa Fe, NM (1610) – Spanish.
• Plymouth, MA (1620) – English (Pilgrims).
• New Amsterdam / NYC (1624) – Dutch.

Why Not the Others?

• A. China: No sustained pre-Columbian settlement. Some theories (1421) lack evidence. Significant Chinese immigration began 1840s (Gold Rush, railroads).
• C. Mexico: Mexico *is* in America (North America). Spanish settlers came *from* Mexico northward (e.g., Santa Fe), but ultimate origin = Spain/Europe.
• D. Africa: Africans arrived **enslaved** (first 1619 Virginia), not as voluntary settlers. Free Black communities formed later.

Indigenous peoples** (Native Americans) had inhabited the Americas for **15,000+ years** before Europeans arrived. The question specifies "non-American Indian settlers."