When the first Englishmen arrived on the east coast of North America in the early 17th century (Jamestown, Plymouth) there were hundreds of Native American tribes scattered across the continent, each with its own unique culture. As more and more Europeans began to arrive in North America, the Native America living on the east coast were soon pushed off their lands and driven west. In colonial times a number of tribes became extinct as English settlers slaughtered all the Native Americans and burned all the villages belonging to a single tribe.