1. New Hampshire
John Mason founded New Hampshire for Puritans in This New England colony had harsh conditions that made farming difficult. The long winters and rocky soil meant few crops could be grown. New England colonies depended on imports (goods brought INto another place) from other colonies. In exchange, they exported (sent goods OUT of a place) textiles (cloth products), rum, and lumber. They also had a strong fishing, whaling, and shipbuilding industry. Although slavery was legal in New England, it was not common. More free blacks lived in New England than any other region.

2. Massachusetts
Massachusetts Bay Colony was established by the Puritans 1630 and was led by John Winthrop. Plymouth, established in 1620, was in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Although the Puritans left England seeking religious freedom, they were intolerant of any other religious groups. Puritans banished people from the colony and even tried some for witchcraft! Like many New England colonies, Massachusetts depended on its fishing, lumber, and shipbuilding industries.
Massachusetts, specifically the port city of Boston, was a major leader in the American Revolution. Boston is on a harbor, a body of water surrounded mostly by land. Harbors are good for ships to dock because they are more protected from storms than an open coastline.

3. Connecticut
The New England colony of Connecticut was established by Thomas Hooker in Hooker, a Puritan leader, was forced to leave England because his religion was not accepted. He was invited to join John Winthrop in Massachusetts. However, he was also forced to leave Massachusetts because he disagreed with other Puritan clergy. Unlike them, he believed that the government of a colony should be determined by the people of the colony, not a select few of religious elite. Thus he started a new colony which was governed by an elected body under the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. The Orders set up voting rights for men as well as promoted the idea of individual rights.

4. Rhode Island
Separatist Roger Williams, left England for Massachusetts seeking religious freedom. However, he was banished from the colony because he believed in separation of church and state. This meant he believed that a government should be separate from religion. He also believed in religious freedom for all, not just the Puritans. Because he was forced to leave Massachusetts, he established a new colony, Rhode Island. Here he was true to his word. Jewish people and Quakers were welcomed in the new colony.
Anne Hutchinson, a Puritan of Massachusetts, believed in worshipping as she pleased (an idea that was not allowed.) She held meetings for women to discuss their beliefs. However, only men were allowed to lead religious meetings. She was arrested for these meetings and banished from the colony, so she joined Williams in Rhode Island

5. New York
New York was originally a Dutch colony called New Amsterdam. It was founded by Peter Minuit as he left Holland to escape religious persecution. No single major religion dominated the colony. In 1664, the Dutch lost the colony to England which renamed it New York.
New York was considered a middle colony because it fell geographically in the middle of the 13 colonies, but also because it some things in common with New England while it had others in common with the southern colonies. For example, like the south, the middle colonies had good soil for growing crops. They had the nickname “breadbasket” colonies because they were able to grow a significant amount of wheat. Other middle colony exports included; fur, corn, livestock, and iron ore. Unlike the south however, middle colony farms were usually small.

6. Pennsylvania
In 1682 King Charles II of England owed a debt to William Penn’s father. In order to pay the debt, the king granted William a charter for a new colony called Pennsylvania, meaning Penn’s Woods. Pennsylvania along with Maryland and Delaware were proprietary colonies, meaning colonies established as a way of repaying a debt. The King granted the proprietor (the person to whom the debt was owed) the ability to govern the colony.
Penn was a Quaker and sought religious freedom. His colony was one of the most tolerant of various religions and welcomed people of all groups. In general, the middle colonies were known for being more tolerant of different groups of people than the other regions.

7. Delaware
Delaware was founded in 1638 by Peter Minuit. The colony is named after the Delaware river. The colony was originally part of Pennsylvania, but broke into a separate colony.
No major religion dominated Delaware and it was home to Quakers, Catholics, Jews, and Lutherans.
Unlike New England, slave labor was used in the middle colonies, but not to the extent of the southern colonies.

8. New Jersey
New Jersey was founded in 1664 by Sir George Carteret with the purpose of earning money.
New Jersey was royal colony, meaning it was governed by people appointed by the King.
Middle colonies had long summers and mild winters which made them suitable for farming. Due to their location, the middle colonies were considered the trade center of the colonies.

9. Maryland
Lord Baltimore established the colony of Maryland in 1633 as a safe haven for persecuted Catholics. Unlike Massachusetts, which was established for religious freedom, but really only accepted Puritans, Maryland was established for religious freedom of Catholics, and welcomed other religions such as Baptists and Anglicans.
Although Maryland fits in with the middle colonies because of its religious tolerance, it was considered a southern colony because of its climate.

10. Virginia
Virginia was established with the settlement of Jamestown in 1607 and led by John Smith. This royal colony was created to make a profit for England. Originally, colonists went to Virginia in hopes of finding gold. When this didn’t pan out, they sought a new form of profit which John Rolfe found in the growing and exporting of tobacco.
The Virginia House of Burgesses was America’s first representative governmental body. People would elect members to the House to make decisions on their behalf.

11. North Carolina and South Carolina
The Carolinas were established by eight proprietors from Virginia in 1712 with the purpose of turning a profit. Southern colonies were the warmest and had fertile land suitable for plantations, very large farms. Southern colonists grew cash crops such as cotton, rice, indigo (purple dye), and sugar. These self-sufficient plantations were heavily dependant on slave labor. Plantations also used indentured servants. Plantation owners paid for these workers to travel to the colonies. In exchange, the indentured servants worked for a contracted amount of years. When their time was up, they earned their freedom.

12. Georgia
James Oglethorpe established the colony of Georgia in 1732 with the permission of King George II (hence the name GEORGia.) At the time people could be imprisoned for owing debt. Oglethorope’s friend died while in debtor’s prison. This sparked Oglethorpe to recognize a need for reform. He opened Georgia up to debtors who would be jailed if they were to stay in England.
Georgia was the Southernmost colony and bordered the Spanish colony of Florida. The colony became a buffer between Spanish Florida and the rest of the English colonies. Essentially if the Spanish were to attack the English it would be debtors that were in danger, not other, more prominent colonists.