Over the course of the eighteenth century in colonial America, the

A) percentage of landowners increased in urban areas.
B) economic rights of slaves increased.
C) wealthy wanted to spread the wealth to decrease poverty.
D) percentage of those owning land was lower than in England.
E) rich became richer.

The statement "rich became richer" is the most accurate choice. During the eighteenth century, the colonial economy grew rapidly, leading to increased wealth for those who owned land and businesses. This trend was especially pronounced in the Northern colonies, where urbanization and trade contributed to a growing wealth gap between the wealthy and working-class citizens. The percentage of landowners in America was actually higher than in England, so choice D is incorrect. While there were some efforts to alleviate poverty, such as the establishment of poorhouses, the idea of spreading wealth was not a common or widely-embraced idea among the wealthy in colonial America, making choice C incorrect. The economic rights of slaves did not increase during this time period, making choice B incorrect.