THE GROWTH
OF THE
THIRTEEN COLONIES
1607-1760
Motivations for Colonization

Jamestown
– Economic prosperity
– Single men hoped to make fortunes in Virginia
and return to England
– Previous explorers brought home tales of vast
amounts of gold and other valuable resources
– English patriotism
– Adventurers wanted to stake English claim to
prevent Spanish from taking over all of North
America
Motivations for Colonization

Plymouth
– Religious freedom
– Puritans (Separatists) persecuted for rebelling
against Church of England
– Felt church had not completed the work of the
Reformation – was too close to Roman
Catholosism
Founding of Colony

Jamestown 1607
– Funded by London Company, a private
enterprise
– Granted charter by King James, but no
funding
– Company recruited people by promising that
gold could be found by anyone who made the
trip
– King predetermined government of colony
Founding of Colony

Plymouth 1620
– Received funding from London Company
– Treasurer of London C. was friends with one of the
settlers
– Separatists granted land in Virginia, but chose instead
to settle in Plymouth – Some say this was a
navigation mistake, however most historians feel this
was on purpose
– Signed Mayflower Compact to appease nonSeparatists on board who were rumored to be uneasy
about settling somewhere other than specified land
grant
Initial Difficulties

Jamestown
– Laziness of colonists
– Did not expect to do manual labor
– Depended on natives for food
– Disease and starvation killed 80% of the
colonists in the first year
– Failed attempts to befriend Indians let to
multiple skirmishes
Initial Difficulties

Plymouth
– Mayflower landed on December 21, many
Pilgrims (name given to them MUCH later)
died in harsh first winter
– Attempts at agriculture initially failed
Factors Contributing to Success

Jamestown
– Captain John Smith took control of
government
– instituted "no work, no eat" policy
– firm leadership helped colony survive first few
difficult years
– ability to grow tobacco made land valuable
– population grew as a result
Factors Contributing to Success

Plymouth
– Strength of Mayflower Compact – this is
more of a myth. The REAL fruit of their
success was the fact that most of the natives
had died from disease from early contact and
colonists moved into already cleared land!
– able leaders like William Bradford and Miles
Standish
– English-speaking Squanto, a survivor from
previous explorations, taught Pilgrims to grow
corn
Factors Contributing to Success

Plymouth
– this cooperation led to the first Thanksgiving
symbolized friendly relations between Pilgrims and
Indians – Another myth. “Thanksgiving” is basically
fall harvest festival and the natives had a tradition of
this. The “pilgrims” were invited to eat with the
Indians, not the other way around. Ask me where our
Thanksgiving holiday actually derived from. Extra
credit if you already know!
– How many of you participated in a Thanksgiving play
in elementary school? None of that actually
happened!! Do you feel lied to?
THE AMERICAN COLONIES
Region
NEW ENGLAND
COLONIES
MIDDLE
COLONIES
Geography
Religion & Society
Coastal areas with good
harbors.
Inland areas with dense
forests.
Poor rocky soil & short
growing season.
Small farms. Lumber mills.
Fishing, Shipbuilding and
Trade flourished.
Cities developed along
coast.
Most people organized as
congregations. (Puritans)
Lived on farms, Merchants
controlled trade.
Artisans made goods,
unskilled workers and
slaves provided labor.
Fertile soil and long
growing season.
Colonies grew large
amounts of rye, oats,
barley, potatoes & wheat
as cash crop.
Cities on coast.
Wealthiest people owned
large farms & most
business.
Most farmers produced a
small surplus.
Tenants farmers rented
land or worked for wages.
Religious diversity:
Catholic, Quaker, Protestant
Tobacco, rice & indigo
grown on large plantations
as cash crops.
Wealthy elite controlled
most land.
Labor supply: indentured
servants & African slaves.
Religion: Anglican
Rivers ran into
backcountry.
SOUTHERN
COLONIES
Government &
Economy
Favorable climate and soil
for agriculture.
Wide rivers made cities
unnecessary.
Colonies Grow and Develop
Differently
There are 13 colonies.
 They are along the Atlantic coast.
 They were divided into three groups

 New England
 Middle
 Southern

The ways of life were different.
Ways of Life
Climate differed
 Government & Economy
 Religion & Society

The New England Colonies
The Puritans and the Pilgrims united and
formed the colony of Massachusetts
 The colony of Connecticut was founded by
Thomas Hooker
 Tomas Hooker was a Puritan minister. He
believed that the leaders where becoming
to powerful in Massachusetts.
 Rhode Island was found by Roger Williams

Life in Colonial England

Most New Englanders were:
 Farmers
 Trade
 Sailing and by the sea
They used ships called schooners were used to
catch cod
 They also were known for whaling
 They used the whales for oil
 Boston was the largest city in the New England
colonies.

Life in Colonial New England
Schooling was very important to New
Englanders.
 They believed that children should be able
to read so they can read the Bible.
 Massachusetts past a law about public
education in 1647.
 The law said every town with 50 families
or more must have a school.

The Middle Colonies

The middle colonies unlike the other colonies had
settlers from all different countries:
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Europe
Germany
Holland
Sweden
Henry Hudson explored the waterway called the Hudson
River.
The Dutch built a settlement called New Amsterdam.
New Amsterdam then became New York when it was
attacked by the English.
The English also took New Sweden from the Dutch and
called it New Jersey.
The Middle Colony Of Pennsylvania

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William Penn a Quaker discovered Pennsylvania.
The Quakers had limited rights.
They did not belong to the Church of England.
They were peace loving people.
They believed in NO WAR.
Penn was given land by King Charles II and
Penn said this land would be used as a “FREE
COLONY”.
The Middle Colony Of Pennsylvania
Founded in 1682 by Penn
 Became a special place of freedom
 People earned a trial by jury
 All people had the same rights in
Pennsylvania

Life in the Middle Colonies
People lived on large farms far apart from
each other.
 Families home schooled their children.
 The farms produced grains such as corn
and wheat.
 They were known as the “Breadbasket of
America”.
 Beaver fur was common for trade.

The Southern Colonies

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Lord Baltimore founded the colony of Maryland.
Maryland was the first colony to pass a law
granting religious freedom.
It was called the Act of Toleration
Georgia was not a colony of religious freedom.
Georgia was used as a refuge for prisoners.
The prisoners were poor people who could not
afford to pay their debt.
Georgia then became a colony where people
could work of their debt and gain a new start.
The Southern Colonies
The Carolinas were discovered and divided
in the North and South because of large
settlement populations.
 They came for religious freedom
 They came for a chance to prosper.

Farms and Plantations in the
Southern Colonies
The farms produced large plantations of
rice, indigo and tobacco.
 The big plantations were started along
rivers on the coast.
