American Colonies

Learn about the history of the colonies. Then complete a short

task.

Click on the name of a colony to learn more.

Georgia

South Carolina North Carolina

Virginia Maryland

PennsylvaniaDelaware

New York

New Jersey

New HampshireMassachusetts

Rhode Island

ConnecticutClick here for activities.

Credits

New Hampshire

• Founded in 1623• Was originally called

North Virginia!• Unlike other New

England colonies, religious freedom was not its purpose

Massachusetts

• Founded in 1620• Where the Mayflower

landed• Settlers were looking

for religious freedom not available in Europe

Connecticut

• Founded in 1636• Settled by Dutch, then

taken over by English looking for religious freedom

Rhode Island

• Founded in 1636, by Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams, who were looking for a colony with true religious freedom.

New York

• Originally controlled by the Dutch

• Founded in 1624• Center for commerce in

early colonies• Taken over by the English

in 1674

New Jersey

• Founded by the Dutch in 1623 as New Netherlands

• Delaware tribe were first inhabitants

• Dutch used area for trading

• English fought to take over the land

Pennsylvania

• Founded in 1682• First leader was

William Penn• The Quaker religion

was very strong• Populated by English,

German, and Scotch-Irish settlers

Delaware

• Founded in 1638• First settled by the

Swedish, then Dutch, and finally English

Maryland

• Founded in 1633• Named after Queen

Henrietta Maria of England

Virginia

• Founded in 1607• Home of the

Jamestown settlement

• Settlers came to make money

North Carolina

• Founded in 1653• Named after King

Charles• Location of many

tobacco, rice, and cotton plantations

South Carolina

• Founded in 1663• Home to tobacco,

cotton, and rice plantations

• Imported slaves to work the fields

Georgia

• Founded in 1732• The last colony to be

established• James Oglethorpe

created a settlement for people who were in debtor’s prison in England

More Information

• Jump Back to Colonial America- be sure to check out the stories at the bottom of the page

• Check out Colonial Life at this site!

• Explore daily life in the colonies.

Credits

• Photos courtesy of United Streaming and Teacher Created Materials through the ed1stop portal.