United States History
Unit I: Colonization - 1763
England’s 13 American Colonies
Bell Ringer: The First English Colonies
1. What was the crop that saved Jamestown from
failure and built Virginia’s economy?
2. Explain the concepts of indentured servitude
and the headright system as introduced by the
London Company to populate Jamestown.
3. Why did the Pilgrims, and later, the Puritans,
settle in what is now Massachusetts?
4. What was Virginia’s House of Burgesses?
5. What is the importance of the Mayflower
Compact in American History?
The 13 English Colonies in 1750
The New England Colonies
• Pilgrims & Puritans in MA, CT, RI, & NH
• 1635 – Roger Williams, a Separatist minister, was
banished from MA by Puritans. Founded RI after getting
charter from King. Lecturer Anne Hutchinson, a heretic in
MA, also left for RI. They helped bring religious tolerance
to New England.
• 1636 – Thomas Hooker (CT) – liberal minister who hated
Puritan restrictions on voting who left with his
congregation. Their rules/ laws were called the
Fundamental Orders of CT. 1662 – King Charles II granted
them a charter.
• 1622 – John Mason (VT) and Ferdinando Gorges were
granted what is now VT and ME. They divided it in 1629.
Maine was part of MA until it became a state in 1820.
The Middle Colonies
• 1664 - NY taken from Dutch by James, Duke of York who was brother
of King Charles II. NJ split off from NY b/c Duke thought NY too big to
manage.
• 1682 –PA by William Penn– Known for religious tolerance. It was called
“the Holy Experiment” for the Religious Society of Friends or “Quakers”
b/c they “quaked” before power of God. They believed people should
find truth from “inner light of God.”
• Penn founded Philadelphia & made treaty of friendship with Native
Americans b/c they believed all to be equal. Settled by people from all
over Europe b/c Penn recruited.
• 1701 – DE (New Sweden) broke off from PA and became own colony
• The Duke of York and William Penn were proprietors – they owned
colony & rented land if they agreed to recognize the Crown’s control &
keep laws consistent with England’s laws. The colony basically
belonged to them.
The Southern Colonies
• Southern Colonies – Slavery was more important here because cash
crops like tobacco, indigo, and rice are more labor intensive.
• 1634 - Lord Baltimore – Catholic proprietor – granted MD by Charles I as
Catholic haven & tobacco producing colony.
• 1663 - NC and SC – Charles II gave charter to 8 English nobles. They
encouraged immigration through the headright system. 1690 – rice or
“Carolina gold” introduced from Madagascar & slaves needed to grow
and harvest it. NC was less successful as it didn’t attract rich planters
from VA, but poor frontiersmen who farmed.
• 1729 – NC & SC divided as Crown ended proprietorship and they
became royal colonies.
• 1732 – James Oglethorpe – GA – buffer between SC & Spanish FL, haven
for debtors, and mulberry trees & silk worms
Keeping Order: Colonial Governments
• Each had a legislature and usually it was bicameral. PA was only
exception.
• In 8 Royal Colonies, Upper house & governor chosen by Crown and
Lower House by the People.
• In the 2 Self-governing Colonies – CT & RI - both houses & governor
chosen by the people.
• 3 colonies - PA, MD, & DE - remained Proprietary but similar to Royal
Colonies as proprietor appointed governor.
• Judges were appointed by the King in Royal Colonies and elected by
the people in Self-governing Colonies.
• Suffrage was not universal. Only white men, 21 years of age and that
owned land could vote.
• In Royal Colonies & Proprietary, governor had veto power, but
legislature levied taxes and set governor’s salary Do you think they
got along?
Colonial Economies by Region
• New England Colonies – Fishing, whaling, lumbering, ship building, fur
trade, shipping and long-distance trade were the mainstays (Triangle
Trade). Later manufacturing and distilling (firearms and rum) became
important due to trade between Europe, the Caribbean, and Africa
(slavery). Small subsistence farms were common.
• Middle Colonies – Small farms and commercial farms produced livestock,
grain, and food stuffs to be sold in cities. Slavery was not as important
here; economies were mixed between farming and commerce.
• Southern Colonies – Slavery, especially after 1700, was more important
here because cash crops like tobacco, indigo, and rice needed more
labor. Plantation agriculture became dominant, but smaller farms would
develop on the western frontier. Very small middle class compared to
other regions. Ports like Charleston, SC and Savanna, GA, as well as New
Orleans, LA were very important to the region.
Locate England’s 13 American Colonies
3.
2.
6.
8.
7.
12.
1.
9.
4.
11.
10.
5.
13.
Exit Slip: England’s 13 American Colonies
1. True or False: Massachusetts had a strong
reputation for religious tolerance.
2. True or False: Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson
are most closely associated with Maryland.
3. True or False: Pennsylvania was founded by a
religious sect called the Quakers.
4. True or False: Colonies controlled by the Crown
through an appointed royal governor were known as
Proprietary Colonies.
5. True or False: The system of slavery was most
important to the plantation economies of the
Southern Colonies.
Creating a “Foldable” for the 13 Colonies
Review/ Re-teaching Activity
• One section for each region: New England, Middle Colonies,
Southern Colonies
• Your Foldable must include the following for each of the
three regions:
1. Name the colonies in each region.
2. Who lived there? Ethnicity, Religion, Culture?
3. Geography? What was it like there?
4. Type of economy/ resources/ products produced/ how did
they earn money?
• Be neat! Use space effectively! Color/ illustrations are
nice!