British Motives in the Settlement of German Palatines in Colonial New York

In 1710, a group of German Palatine refugees landed in the New World courtesy of Britain’s Queen Anne. While British propaganda boasted charitable and religious motives behind the Palatine relocation to America—particularly in light of the Catholic-Protestant feud gripping Europe at that time—the historical record paints an alternative picture. Based on the evidence, the move was predominantly an act of convenience and profit to the Crown. Britain had a need to remove excess poor from its midst, make its northerly Colonies profitable, and ensure Colonial security in the face of Iroquois threat. England viewed the Palatines as an ethnically homogenous people whom they could exploit to meet these economic and security needs