13 Colonies
What is a colony?
• A colony is a place (land) and
people (called subjects) that is
controlled by another country
–Imperialism
• Great Britain had colonies all
across North America. 13 total
True or False?
• People living in a colony usually had the
power to create their own laws and
government.
True or False?
• People living in a colony usually had the
power to create their own laws and
government.
FALSE
Why did countries conquer each
other?
• To build EMPIRES
– E: economic
– M: military
– P: political
– I: ideological
– R: religious
– E: exploratory
Economic Motivation
• Mercantilism
– Dominant economic theory/practice of Europe for
most of the 16th-18th centuries
– Economic nationalism for the purpose of building
a wealthy and powerful state
– Strict regulation of imports, encouragement of
exports
• Mercantilism motivates colonial expansion
Religious Motivation
• Escape Persecution
– Massachusetts
– Maryland
– Pennsylvania
– Rhode Island
Puritans
Catholics
Quakers
All religions
• “liberty of conscience”
Where exactly were the colonies?
• New England
(Northern) Colonies
• Middle Colonies
• Southern Colonies
Who made up the colonies?
• Lets take a closer look at the kinds of people
who came to the New World
• We examine actual passenger lists from 2
ships
– 1 ship travelled to Virginia (southern) and the
other went to New England
– Work to complete the “Examining Passenger Lists”
handout independently or with a partner
Passenger List Debrief
• What are the biggest differences between the two
ships?
• What does this info tell you about the diff. between
New England and Virginia in the 1630s?
• What more do you want to know about these
passengers?
• What info is missing from these lists?
• What do you think will change once plantation
owners in the Chesapeake begin replacing
indentured servants w/ African slaves?
New England Colonies
New England Colonies
• Describe a typical immigrant…
• What was the original purpose of this colony?
– Religious freedom
• What religion were the people living here?
– Separatists (also called Puritans)
• What was the economy like?
– Small, family farms
– Skilled craftsmen (ship building, weavers, tailors, etc.)
– TRADE became very important
• Was slavery allowed?
– Some families had slaves (at first); outlawed by 1780’s
Middle Colonies
Middle Colonies
• A typical immigrant…
• What was the original purpose of this colony?
– Economics: fur traders sold animal fur to British
– Also, the Quakers founded Pennsylvania (freedom)
• What religion were the people living here?
– No official religion (many people were Quakers)
• What was the economy like?
– Farming (“staple crops” like wheat, barley, oaks)
– Trade was important, port cities like NY and Philadelphia
• Was slavery allowed?
– Slaves were more important than in NE, less important than in
the South
– Many indentured servants were used
Southern Colonies
Southern Colonies
• A typical immigrant…
• What was the original purpose of this colony?
– Money!
– Founded by joint stock companies
• What religion were the people living here?
– Anglican (Church of England)
• What was the economy like?
– Cash crops (cotton and tobacco)
• Was slavery allowed?
– Slavery was very important in the Southern colonies
– Many indentured servants were used as well
Compare & Contrast:
Jamestown vs. Plymouth
Jamestown
Plymouth
(Southern)
(NE)
Compare & Contrast:
Jamestown vs. Plymouth
Plymouth
Jamestown
Founded in
early 1600’s
Founded: 1606
Purpose: Make money!
Regional Characteristics:
Warm, humid, swamp-like
Main crop: Tobacco
Who came? Young men,
indentured servants
Founded: 1620
Large % of
population
died during
first winter
Purpose: Religious freedom
Native Am.
helped with
survival
Main crop: Corn
Regional Characteristics:
COLD winters, not great for
farming
Who came? Entire families