1. A major historical era in U.S. History

2. The first English colonies were along the Atlantic coast. The Appalachian Mountains to the west served as the western boundary of all the colonies.

3. The first colony was founded in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia. Powhatan Indians helped the colonists survive.

4. Many came to the colonies to escape religious persecution in Europe.  Puritans settled in the New England colonies  Quakers settled in Pennsylvania  Catholics settled in Maryland

5. Many early colonial cities were seaports, mostly in New England, in which religion and trade was a center of their cultural life.  Virginia, New York, North Carolina were primarily founded on commerce/trade.

6. The 13 British colonies could be divided into three geographic areas: New England, Middle, and Southern. Each of these had specific economic, social, and political developments that were unique to the regions.

7. Higher populations densities in larger cities were found near ports and rivers. Lower population densities were found in the Southern colonies, where the fertile soils led to a more agrarian economy and large plantations.

8. New England’s rocky soil and colder temperatures led to the primary economic areas in trade of furs, fish and timber. The Dutch initially settled New York for economic gains.

9. Boston was the primary city in the New England colonies.

10. The “Breadbasket” was known for grains, flour, metal and goods. Philadelphia was the primary city in colonial Pennsylvania.

11. Southern colonies had the best soil and climate for large-scale agriculture. Rice, tobacco, and indigo were primary products.

12. Slavery was important to the Southern colonies. Since the economy was agrarian, the slaves kept the plantation system profitable.

13. The transatlantic slave trade began when plantations in the West Indies needed labor. The largest percentage of slaves went to these Caribbean colonies.

14. In the political world of Colonial America, neither slaves nor free blacks were allowed to have the power of the vote.

15.  The role of religion and virtue led to the growth of representative government.  Religious groups were the first to establish self- governing communities.

16. The following contributed to the growth of representative government in the colonies:  Isolation of the communities  Long distance from British system  Familiarity with parliamentary system

17. Representative government did NOT develop as a temporary step until a monarchy could be established.

18.  The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut were important to the development of democracy in the English colonies  It was a written constitution and is considered the first in the colonies.

19. The Virginia House of Burgesses contributed to the growth of representative government.  Representatives were elected by the people.

20.  William Penn believed in a government limited by the law.  He wrote Pennsylvania’s first constitution.

21. Founding Documents (in order):  Mayflower Compact-1620  Fundamental Orders of Connecticut-1639  Declaration of Independence-1776  Bill of Rights-1789

22. Between 1610 and 1700, the colonies continued to grow.  The most growth was in the decade of 1680- 1690.  The colonies continued to grow to the west as more and more people came to the colonies