England’s beginning of a new colony in North America Many reasons for England wanting to start a new colony They wanted to find gold If they could not find gold, there were many natural resources offered in North America

Roanoke Island and Jamestown First English colony was Roanoke Island Little is know about the colony because the people of the colony “vanished” without any reason After Roanoke, 3 English ships landed in Virginia They began a colony called Jamestown Difficult to live there because the land was low and swampy, the air was full of disease carrying mosquitoes, and the water was not healthy to drink Many settlers began to die as soon as they moved into Jamestown because of starvation and disease

Jamestown continued John Smith was elected leader of Jamestown . He made the colonists build houses, dig wells to get to fresh water, plant crops (farming), and fish in the rivers to find food so they could avoid starvation. Tobacco became an important crop to Jamestown colonists It was a cash crop, meaning colonists grew it to sell and make a profit from the crop Jamestown government was a self government This meant that rules or laws were created by the people living in the colonies

France and the Northwest Passage France sends explorers to find the NW Passage, a waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Waterway will make it easier for trading ships to sail from Europe to Asia Dutch took control of the Hudson River during their search for the Northwest Passage Because of these expeditions to find the NW Passage, French and Dutch discovered rivers and founded successful colonies, such as Quebec and Montreal

New Amsterdam Dutch wanted the colony of New Amsterdam to grow The Dutch encouraged people from many countries to settle there so lots of people would move to the colony Settlers arrived from countries such as Belgium, France, Germany, Finland, Norway, and many other countries

The Pilgrims Pilgrims left their homeland to practice their religious beliefs They landed in New England because a storm blew their ship off course They settled in New England in a place called Plymouth They faced many difficulties Landed during the winter and faced freezing weather Hunger Disease

Pilgrims continued Because of the Wampanoag, the pilgrims were able to survive the Plymouth Colony They taught them the best hunting and fishing areas and how to grow corn Thanksgiving was celebrated Since the Wampanoag showed the Pilgrims how to survive at Plymouth, the Pilgrims wanted to celebrate their success and show a sense of appreciation to the Wampanoag for their help in surviving the first year.

The Puritans They too faced religious persecution(like the Pilgrims) They sent a small group of Puritans over first to get a new colony started for others (in New England) The Puritans, like the Pilgrims, wanted to reform the Church of England

Geography of the 13 Colonies Three regions- New England Colonies Middle Colonies Southern Colonies

New England Colony Had thin rocky soil-difficult to farm Had thick woods with timber to build homes and ships Waters were rich in fish and whales People had many different religious beliefs Dissenters(people who’s views differ from those held by most people in the community) were forced to leave their colony

Middle Colonies Warm climate and fertile soil Grew a large amount of wheat and was known as the “Breadbasket of the colonies” Large rivers made it easy to transport goods

Southern Colonies Warmest climate Had the longest growing season Produced valuable crops

Middle and Southern Colonies Many of these colonies got started because King Charles II gave away large plots of land