EXPLORATION AND
COLONIZATION
8th grade
AGE OF EXPLORATION
The Age of Exploration was a time of
discovery of new lands, innovations in
cartography and trade, and the exchange
of cultures and ideas from distant lands.
EUROPEANS IN THE
AMERICAS
The Spanish were the first Europeans to reach the
Americas. They eventually had settlements in Florida,
California, the Southwest, Central America, and South
America.
EUROPEANS IN THE
AMERICAS ( CON’T)
 The Spanish…
• They established St. Augustine, Florida, in 1565. This was the
first European settlement in what is now the United States.
• They were very interested in finding gold.
• They also set up missions in order to convert Native Americans to
Christianity.
• In 1682, The Spanish sent Catholic priests to the missions to
spread Catholicism to the Native Americans. The missions also
helped the Spanish to settle new parts of Texas, and to spread
their culture
EUROPEANS IN THE
AMERICAS
The French claimed the area around the St. Lawrence
River in Canada.
• This area became part of the colony of New France.
• The fur trade was a very important economic activity
in the colony, and almost immediately after arriving,
the French began trading furs with the Huron tribe.
• They would later send missionaries to attempt to
convert the Native Americans to Catholicism.
EUROPEANS IN THE
AMERICAS CON’T
 The English also sent explorers to the Americas. In 1585, Sir Walter
Raleigh started the first English colony at Roanoke in North Carolina.
 The Dutch started the colony of New Netherland in the early 17th
century.
• New Netherland was in the area now known as New York.
• The Dutch who settled there were very interested in earning money
from trading and farming.
• Trade was controlled by the Dutch West India Company.
• The Dutch also created the Dutch East India Company to control
trade in Asia and Africa.
EXCHANGES AND EFFECTS
 The exploration of new routes and lands opened the possibilities of trade in
Europe.
 The New World had plants, animals, and culture never before seen.
• These items were in high demand by the royalty and nobility, and so they were
traded for high prices.
 The economy in Europe started to grow as countries fought to be the first to come
back with a new good.
• Europeans traded European goods with the natives and brought animals like
horses to the Americas.
• Europeans also brought diseases to the New World.
• Some civilizations were completely wiped out by smallpox and other similar
diseases.
EXPLORATION AND
COLONIZATION
 England was among the first European nations to colonize what
is now the United States.
 The English settled along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean,
establishing the Thirteen Colonies.
THE BRITISH COLONIES
(13 COLONIES)
New England Colonies
The Middle Colonies
The Southern Colonies
NEW ENGLAND COLONIES
 The New England Colonies were Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode
Island, and New Hampshire.
• People often lived in communities that were dependent on fishing.
• The people made their own clothes and shoes.
• There was a strong shipbuilding industry in New England = large
supply of timber and good access to the Atlantic Ocean.
• As a result, fishing and trading were very important to the
economy.
• Many people worked as skilled craftsmen and shopkeepers. New
MIDDLE COLONIES
 The Middle Colonies were New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and
Delaware.
• The economy in this region relied on agriculture and industry.
• The area was known for its coastal lowlands (harbors and bays,
wide and deep rivers) and its rich farmlands, as well as its moderate
climate.
• These colonies are referred to as the "breadbasket colonies," because
they grew so much food including wheat, barley, and rye.
• Wheat and other grains grew on farms in Pennsylvania and New York.
• Pennsylvania had many mills where wheat was ground into flour.
SOUTHERN COLONIES
(STOP)
 Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
 These colonies were mostly agricultural and had many plantations.
 A plantation was a large plot of land that had many acres of farmland and
buildings.
 The people who lived there owned the land or worked the land.
• Many of the workers on plantations were African slaves. The humid
climate helped Southern plantations grow cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar,
and indigo.
• Good harbors helped colonists sell their products to buyers in
England, and rivers helped transport goods to other places in
America.
TYPES OF COLONIES
 A charter colony consisted of a document granting permission to a
group to settle and trade in a certain area.
• Example: The London Company received a charter from England
allowing them to settle in Virginia.
 A royal colony was a colony under the direct control of the king.
 A proprietary colony was a colony that was granted to an individual
or group by the British crown and that was granted full rights of selfgovernment.
• Ex. Maryland and Pennsylvania were proprietary colonies.
WHY ENGLAND
COLONIZED AMERICA…
The main reason the first people from England settled
America was economic.
• England wanted to control areas of America in order
to gain wealth like gold and silver.
• There was little gold and silver in the Thirteen
Colonies, but England soon found America's abundant
natural resources such as furs and timber.
WHY ENGLAND COLONIZED
AMERICA…CONT
 Under mercantilism, the colonies were expected to
participate in economic activities that benefited
England.
• The American colonies would send to England
natural resources such as timber, which was
then manufactured into goods such as paper.
• It was then sold back to the colonists. Most
colonial settlements had easy access to the sea
so they could trade with England.
• Americans did not always like mercantilism
because they could usually sell their goods to
other places for more money.
WHY ENGLAND COLONIZED
AMERICA…CONT
 In later years, the reason for colonization included the need for
religious freedom because many people in England could not
practice their beliefs freely.
• Others came to escape the high cost of land and the lack
of resources in Europe. They believed that in America
they could find employment or become landowners
 http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/thirteencol
onies/
GOVERNMENT IN THE
COLONIES
 The American colonies were early
examples of representative
government.
• Colonial governments were
not perfect examples of
democracy, but many of their
ideas were later adopted by the
United States.
GOVERNMENT IN THE
COLONIES
 The Mayflower Compact was the first
governing document of Plymouth Colony.
• It was drafted by Pilgrims who were
seeking religious freedom.
• It was based on a majoritarian (majority
rule) model and the settlers' allegiance
to the king.
• In order to survive, settlers agreed to
follow the compact's rules and
regulations.
• In return, the government formed by
the compact would receive its power
from the consent of the governed. It is
often referred to as the foundation for
the U.S. Constitution.
GOVERNMENT IN THE
COLONIES (CON’T)
The House of Burgesses was the
first elected legislative assembly in the
New World, established in Virginia in
1619.
• It was elected to represent the
landowners of Virginia. While its
decisions could be overruled by
the governor, the council, or the
directors, it enacted laws and gave
landowners a voice in
government.
GOVERNMENT IN THE
COLONIES ( CON’T) STOP
 Despite these representative governments, England at different
times attempted to exert more control over the American colonies.
• For example, the charter for the Massachusetts Bay Colony was
revoked in 1684 in an attempt to remove Puritan influence in New
England.
• Massachusetts was restored in 1691 as a royal colony, led by a royal
governor. By the time of the American Revolution, most colonies
were royal colonies.
OTHER GROUPS IN
AMERICA CON’ T
 Native Americans were already living in America when European
colonists arrived. There were conflicts, but many Native Americans
helped Europeans. In Jamestown, Native Americans taught English
settlers how to plant corn and tobacco.
OTHER GROUPS IN
AMERICA CON’T
 The French founded their first North American settlement in 1608, in
Canada.
 France and England competed with each other in North America until the
French and Indian War, which lasted from 1754 until 1763.
 England took control of France's colonies east of the Mississippi River
and placed troops throughout the colonies after the war.
 These English troops made many American colonists unhappy.

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/frenchandindianwar/

http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/frenchandindianwar/activity/
OTHER GROUPS IN
AMERICA CON’T
 In 1614, the Dutch began to settle the area of what is now New York,
New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut. The Dutch hoped to earn large
profits in the fur trade. The Dutch traded with the Mohawk and other
Native American tribes who lived in the area. Their colony was called
New Netherland, and their largest settlement was New Amsterdam, which
became an important trading center. New Amsterdam was captured by
the English in 1664, and the English renamed it New York.
EXPLORATION AND
COLONIZATION
 There were many different environments in North America, and this resulted
in a wide variety of settlement patterns in the colonies. People settled in the
colonies for different reasons, and the people in each colony had different ways of
making a living.
WHY PEOPLE SETTLED IN
AMERICA
 People settled in America for many different reasons.
• Some came for religious freedom because they could not practice
their beliefs in Europe.
• Others came to escape the high cost of land and the lack of
resources in Europe.
• They believed that in America they could find employment or
become landowners.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
 Many colonists came to America to find religious freedom.
 This was especially the case in New England and in some of the
Middle colonies.
MASSACHUSETTS…
 Plymouth Colony was founded by Pilgrims who sailed to America
on the Mayflower.
 Puritans (people who wanted to make changes to the Church of
England) later began the Massachusetts Colony.
 Both the Pilgrims and the Puritans came to this region
(Massachusetts) to freely practice their religions.
CONNECTICUT…
 Connecticut was established by Thomas Hooker, who disagreed
with Massachusetts Governor John Winthrop about political rights.
• Winthrop believed that only members of the Puritan church should
be allowed to be a part of government.
• Although, Hooker believed that any male landowner should be
allowed to. Hooker left Massachusetts and founded the Connecticut
colony.
RHODE ISLAND
 founded in 1636 by Roger Williams,
• who was forced to leave Boston, Massachusetts, because of his
religious and political views.
 Williams bought land from Native Americans and founded
Providence.
NEW HAMPSHIRE…
 John Wheelwright, who was also forced to leave Boston for his
beliefs, founded the colony of New Hampshire in 1638.
PENNSYLVANIA…
 Pennsylvania was started by William Penn. Penn hoped to
make the colony a place where Quakers could live and
worship freely.
 Many Quakers moved from England to Pennsylvania so
they could practice their religion.
 People of other religions were also welcome in
Pennsylvania.
ECONOMIC PROFIT…
 Economic Profit: In some colonies, resources and profit were the
main reasons for settlement.
• This was especially the case in many of the Southern colonies.
WHO BOUGHT INTO
ECONOMIC PROFIT…
• Virginia: Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in
America, was established to find precious metals and other riches
(gold and silver).
• However, the Native Americans taught them how to grow tobacco.
• Settlers began selling tobacco to Europe, and it soon became the
first crop that was profitable for Virginia.
• New Jersey: King Charles II gave the New Jersey colony to two
noblemen named Sir George Carteret and Lord Berkeley. These men
hoped to make a profit from this colony.
WHY PEOPLE SETTLED
CON’T…OTHER REASONS
 One colony was founded for reasons other than profit or religious
freedom.
 Georgia: Georgia was founded by James Oglethorpe for unique
reasons. It was begun as a colony for debtors (people who owed money)
to begin a new life.
• It was also meant to be a buffer, or a barrier, between the
English colonies and the Spanish in Florida.
• Georgia began as a proprietary colony, but it eventually became a
royal colony.
RECAP: WHY PEOPLE
SETTLED IN AMERICA
 Religious Freedom
 Economic Profit
 Barrier/protection against Spaniards in Florida
HOW PEOPLE LIVED…
 The Thirteen Colonies had different climates and geography.
• These differences most affected each region's agriculture,
• The main economic activity
HOW THE 3 DIFFERENT
COLONIES LIVED…
 New England Colonies: Even though Native Americans taught
Pilgrims how to plant corn, the New England region had poor
farming conditions.
• These poor conditions were caused by rocky soil and long, cold
winters.
• Its colonists relied on other natural resources such as fish, timber,
and furs to earn a living.
HOW THE 3 DIFFERENT
COLONIES LIVED…
HOW THE 3 DIFFERENT
COLONIES LIVED…
 Southern Colonies: The Southern colonies had the best climate for
agriculture. These colonies had coastal plains, hilly forests, warm
climate, and rich farmland that helped the region profit from farming.
INDENTURED SERVANTS
AND SLAVES
 Indentured servants were people who wished to come to America but did
not have the money to make the journey.
• Instead of paying for passage on a ship, they took the journey and
became servants after reaching America.
• These indentured servants agreed to work for a certain number of
years to make up for their payment.
INDENTURED SERVANTS
AND SLAVES CON’T
 The first Africans were brought to Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619 as
indentured servants.
 Eventually, the practice of using African slaves replaced using
indentured servants as the main labor source.
 Unlike indentured servants, slaves were forced to work their
entire lives.
•
Slavery existed in every colony, but it was most common in the
Southern colonies.
LEARN NC…
 The area of North Carolina was originally explored in the 1500s. The
Carolina colony was officially established in 1663.
• This lesson will discuss some of the early history of North Carolina.
SIR WALTER RALEIGH
 Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat (noble) that was granted a
royal patent to explore the New World.
• He paid for and organized the establishment of the colony of
Roanoke Island on the North Carolina coast.
• The colony was the first attempt at English settlement in the New
World.
JOHN WHITE
 John White was one of the men that were involved in Sir Walter
Raleigh's exploration of North Carolina.
 Later, John White was appointed the governor of the Roanoke colony
in 1587.
 As an artist, White painted different images of the Native Americans.
•
These images are the most accurate images of Native Americans
before the 19th century.
•
John White returned to England for supplies in 1588. After a two year
delay, he returned to North Carolina to find the colonists of Roanoke
Colony had disappeared. His claims that the settlers moved in with friendly
Native Americans is the most accepted fate of the "Lost Colony."
NC BECAME A ROYAL…
 Lords Proprietors
• In 1663, King Charles II gave a colonial charter to eight
English lords for the Province of Carolina.
• The eight lords were referred to as the Lords Proprietors, and
they were responsible for the new colony.
• In 1712, the colony was split and the colony of North Carolina
was established.
• The colony was controlled by these men until 1729 when
their descendants sold their shares back to the crown.
• As a result, North Carolina became a royal colony.