THE 13 COLONIES

REVIEW Before we get to the 13 colonies, lets review what has happened to lead up to the establishment of the 13 colonies……

Review So far, we have learned that many European nations began to send explorers around the world hoping to claim land, find riches, and spread their religion. Many nations were looking for the Northwest Passage which was a shortcut through North America to reach Asia for trade. Once the American continents were discovered European countries (nations) competed with each other to claim the most land.

CONQUISTADORS ( SPANISH EXPLORERS

Review In order to compete with Spain and France, England sent many people to the east coast of America to establish colonies. England was happy to support the growth of colonies (towns) in America because it helped England claim land in the New World.

The First Colony After several early attempts, English colonization became a success in 1607 when the Virginia Company of England sent a group of men to Jamestown, Virginia to build a colony. Jamestown would become the first permanent and successful English colony in America.

REVIEW Twenty years after the start of Jamestown, another group of people called the Pilgrims headed to America from England. Unlike the Jamestown colonists who wanted land and a chance to make money, these Pilgrims were looking for religious freedom. The Pilgrims landed just north of Virginia, in Plymouth Massachusetts, and began the Plymouth colony.

PURITANS AND PILGRIMS

Government in the Colonies All of the colonies were settled with The permission of the king of England. The King of England issued charters (formal documents) that outlined the colony’s boundaries and how it would be governed. However, since the colonies were so far away from England they still needed to be able to make their own laws to keep peace and order.

I’m the king of England! I control the 13 colonies!!

Early Government Since the colonies were so far from England, most of the colonies were allowed to have self-rule (self-government) where they developed laws for themselves The first form of self-rule in the colonies began with the Pilgrims as they signed the Mayflower Compact on their way to Massachusetts.

House of Burgesses and Representative Government Many of the colonies decided to create assemblies where members of the community could get together and discuss concerns in the colonies. Often people would elect representatives to speak on behave of the colony as a whole. The House of Burgesses became the first form of a representative government in America.

( Representative Government- where you elect representatives) THE HOUSE OF BURGESSES ( Representative Government- where you elect representatives)

England claims land along the Atlantic Coastline Over time, more and more people headed from Europe to America. England claimed most of the land along the east coast of America so many people who landed in what would become the 13 colonies were from the European nation of England.

The 13 Colonies By 1770 the America had grown into 13 English colonies. These colonies developed distinctive (unique) ways of life that would affect the development of America for years to come.

People in the Colonies Most of the colonists felt they were citizens of England even though they were in the American colonies. Many colonists came to America for the chance to own land and start a new life or job in America. Others came to find religious freedom. There were some who did not have a choice.

People in the Colonies A number of convicts (people in jail) were forced to go to America to work off their debts(money you owe) as indentured servants. And millions of people were kidnapped from Africa and taken to the colonies to work as slaves.

What is an Indentured Servant? An indentured servant is a person who signed an indenture( agreement) to work for a master for a period of years in exchange for something. For example, land or a ride to America were both common things these poor servants wanted to work for. Indentured servants were not free until they completed their term of service. Most indentured servants were released from their master after they completed around 7 years of work.

Grouping the 13 Colonies By 1733, there were 13 British/English colonies along the Atlantic coastline. They can be grouped into three distinct regions: The New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies. These regions had different climates and resources that encouraged settlers to develop different ways of life.

Map of the 13 colonies NEW ENGLAND MIDDLE SOUTHERN

THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES

New England Colonies ( The New England region included the colonies of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire.) In New England, farming was difficult because of the long, cold winters, rocky soil and hilly wilderness. However, the sea and forests produced useful resources and ways to make a living.

NEW ENGLAND In the New England Colonies, religion and geography were two of the greatest influences of life in New England. The Puritans and Pilgrims of this region hoped to build model communities based on their religious faith. New England’s forests and coastline made lumbering, shipbuilding and trade very important to the region’s economy.

pictures Middle Colonies

Middle Colonies (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. ) The landscape of this region ranged from rich soil to the wooded mountains. Farmers in the Middle Colonies raised a wide variety of crops and livestock. Lumbering, shipbuilding and other occupations added to the variety of opportunities in these colonies. The middle colonies became a center for trade between the 3 colonial regions.

Middle Colonies . The Middle Colonies had rich soil, allowing the area to become a major exporter of wheat and other grains. Due to the regions production of wheat and grain, the Middle Colonies have also become known as the Bread Basket Colonies. The lumber and shipbuilding industries enjoyed success in the Middle Colonies, and Pennsylvania saw moderate success in the textile and iron industry.

IRON INDUSTRY

The Quakers The Middle Colonies were the most ethnically diverse British colonies in North America, with settlers coming from all parts of Europe. There were many religious and ethnic groups in the middle colonies. One of the these religious groups in the Middle Colonies were the Quakers as known as the Society of Friends. They were led by William Penn and believed in a simple lifestyle and treating people equally. They believed in treating Native Americans fairly and paying them for their land. They also refused to fight in wars or pay dues to the Church of England. Eventually, the Quakers would become a dominant group in the fight to end the slave trade.

William Penn and the Quakers

pictures The Southern Colonies

Southern Colonies (Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia. ) This region featured large rivers and vast wetlands that merged into the sea. Here the soil was fertile and the hot wet climate made it an ideal region to grow tobacco, rice and other cash crops (cash crops= crops that are grown only to make money/cash and not to just be eaten, like tobacco)

Plantations in the South In the Southern Colonies, the climate and geography of the region made it a perfect place to grow cash crops like tobacco, cotton and rice. As more and more people began to grow cash crops, giant farms called plantations began to appear in the South. At first European indentured servants worked on this large farms however, as time went on, slaves from Africa became the main source of labor in the Southern Colonies.

SLAVERY IN THE SOUTH Although slavery could be found in all of the 13 colonies the majority of the slaves were found in the South working on the large plantations. For example in the Maryland Colony, African slaves made up more than 50 to 60 percent of the overall population Life for slaves working on the Southern plantations was very difficult. They were treated as though they were animals and had no rights. The slaves were often ripped apart from their families and forced to work long hard days in the fields. If they tried to fight back they were often brutally punished.

The Backcountry pictures

The Backcountry The Backcountry was distant from the dense coastal cities of the 13 colonies. This was the area away from the coast and closer to the dense woods and meadows of the Appalachian Mountains, far away from the big cities. The people of the Backcountry faced more threats such as attacks from Native Americans and isolation. Their life was very rural and rugged.