The Original 13 Colonies

The Formation of a Nation

The New England Colonies• Harsh climate • Rocky soil• Not good for cash crops-

very few slaves

• settled by many people seeking religious freedom

• Economy was based on merchants, fishing, lumbering, and shipbuilding

• Higher education is important

The Middle Colonies• Good climate• Rich soil for staple

crops- slaves and indentured servants needed

• Settled by people wanting religious freedom and economic opportunities

• Traders and farmers• more diverse

backgrounds

The Southern Colonies• Good climate• Rich soil for cash crops

made slavery crucial

• People mostly came for economic opportunities and some for religion

• Economy was based on agriculture – plantations

• Cash crops- Tobacco, Cotton, Rice, Indigo

• Georgia – place for debtors and poor to live

Immigrant Groups of the 13 colonies

New EnglandPilgrims - Settled in

Massachusetts in 1620 – Plymouth

Puritans - Settled in Massachusetts in 1630 – Boston

Wanted religious freedom

Middle ColoniesCatholicsQuakers –William PennMore tolerant

Southern ColoniesNC- Moravians

Virginia

• Settlers Form the House of Burgess– King James I did not trust

• Became a colony under English Rule (1624)• James Rolfe Perfects Tobacco Crop• Virginia Company• John Smith

Massachusetts

• Religious Tolerance• Mayflower• Pilgrims• Massachusetts Bay Colony

Maryland

• Lord Baltimore (1634)• Refuge for Catholics to Escape Protestant

England• The Act of Toleration (1649)

– Tolerance for all Christians

Connecticut

• Immigrants From Massachusetts• Puritans• River Colony• Thomas Hooker and John Haynes

Rhode Island

• First Colony to Break Away From British Rule• Last Colony to Ratify the Constitution• Roger Williams

– Banished From Massachusetts Bay Colony for Religious Views

Delaware

• Dutch then Swedes then English• One of 2 colonies founded by a Country Other

than England, France, or Spain

Carolinas• Settled by members of the

other colonies. Original settlers were English. Granted a private company in 1663 and divided into two colonies in 1711.

• Great place to grow indigo, rice, and tobacco.

• Name came from the Latin word carolus, meaning “Charles.”

• Officially became a state on November 21, 1789.

• Lords Proprietors – 8 noble supporters of Charles II, awarded Carolina in return for their support – 1663

• 1706 – Bath – first NC town• 1710 – New Bern founded – became 1st capital

of NC• Three regions

1. Coastal Plain in east2. Piedmont in central3. Mountains in west

Carolinas continued

New Immigration

• NC becomes royal colony in 1728.• New settlers

1. Scots-Irish – settled in east2. Highland Scots – settled in east

3. Germans and Moravians –settled inPiedmont – backcountry

4. Africans – brought as slaves – fewer than many other southern colonies• Great Wagon Road• Moravians – name their land Wachovia• 1766 – establish the towns of Bethabara and Salem

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Economy/Social Structure

• Economy – North Carolina was mostly agricultural.• Cash Crops – Tobacco, Rice, and Indigo• Naval Stores – tar, pitch, turpentine• Trade was difficult due to NC’s lack of roads and

difficult waterways.• Social Classes

1. Gentry – rich planters, doctors, lawyers2. Artisans – craftsmen – blacksmith, cobblers3. Small Farmers – Yeomen – biggest group

4. Indentured Servants – poor people who bought their passage to America with their service.

5. Slaves/Indians•Growing conflict between Eastern and Western NC over taxes and political power.

• Triangle Trade – three-part voyageA. Europe to Africa – manufactured trade goodsB. Africa to America (Middle Passage)- slavesC. America to Europe – raw materials (lumber,

cotton, tobacco)

New York

• Settled by Dutch Traders• Established to be a Trade Center• Features Waterways for Easy Trade• Duke of York

New Jersey

• Duke of York Gives Land to Friends– Lord Berkley– Sir George Carteret

• Freedom of Religion

Pennsylvania

• William Penn• Quakers• Religious Tolerance

Georgia

• James Oglethorpe1. Buffer State2. Freedom From Religion3. Poor Could Build a New Life

Name Founded By Year

Virginia London Co. 1607

New Hampshire John Mason and Others 1623

Massachusetts Plymouth

Maine

PuritansSeparatistsF. Gorges

162816201623

Maryland Lord Baltimore 1634

ConnecticutNew Haven

Mass. EmigrantsMass. Emigrants

16351638

Rhode Island R. Williams 1636

Delaware Swedes 1638

N. Carolina Virginians 1653

New York Duke of York 1664

New Jersey Berkeley and Carteret 1664

Carolina Eight Nobles 1670

Pennsylvania William Penn 1681

Georgia Oglethorpe and others 1733

Early Government in the Colonies

• English Bill of Rights – limited King’s power; gave representative government (Parliament) more power

• Representative Government – the people elect representatives to speak for them in government

• Mayflower Compact – first attempt at self-government in the English colonies

• Town meetings – first form of American government in which all free men could participate

• House of Burgess – first representative government in America

• Proprietary Colony – privately-owned colony

• Royal Colony – government-run colony