THE THIRTEEN
COLONIES
ORGANIZATION OF COLONIAL GOVERNMENTS
 1. Joint Stock Company – self governing colony –
operated under shared ownership (like a
company… investors pool money together in
exchange for a share of the company and profits)
 Jamestown (invest capital, enjoy returns)
 2. Proprietary Colony – owned by wealthy
landlords (PA, MD, DE) and nobles, recognized by
king
 3. Royal Colony – Colony owned by Gov’t… royal
governor appointed by king with elected
representative assembly (if the king was okay
with it)
 NY, NC (eventually)
THE THREE REGIONS
New
England
Middle
Colonies
Southern
Colonies
THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES
New Hampshire, Massachusetts,
Connecticut, and Rhode Island
GEOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
 Rocky soil and
short growing
seasons.
ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS
 The New England colonies developed
an economy based on ship-building,
fishing, lumbering, small scale
farming, and eventually, industrial
manufacturing (factories)
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH
“Church of
England”
Split from
Catholic Church
as part of the
Protestant
Reformation
Henry VIII Divorce
Church of
England
Hierarchy
ENGLISH THEOCRACY
 What is lacking in England????
 What if you don’t like the Anglican Church?
 Dissenters were oppressed
 Catholics were hated
 The Gov’t was in control of official English religion!
 This is what we call a Theocracy… a type of gov’t
where church and gov’t are one. There is only one
religion practiced and others are NOT tolerated
 Not everyone in England is happy with the Anglican
Church
PURITANS & PILGRIMS
Pilgrims desired a split
from the Church of
England
Puritans- Desired
reforms in the Church
of England
Tried to sail to Virginia
but missed badly and
ended up in
Massachusetts Bay
Very devout
PLYMOUTH COLONY
 Established in 1620 by the Pilgrims…
Puritan separatists who believed the
English Church was too corrupt to be
saved.
 In 1620, the Pilgrims crossed the
Atlantic in the ship the Mayflower to
found the Plymouth Colony on the south
shore of Massachusetts Bay.
 Before they disembarked, the group of
about 100 made an agreement called
the Mayflower Compact.
 The settlers agreed to form a
government and obey its laws. This idea
of self-government would later become
one of the founding principles of the
United States.
19th Century depiction
of Puritans landing at
Plymouth Rock
PLYMOUTH COLONY





Plymouth Colony
Pilgrims
1620
Massachusetts
Mayflower Compact –
direct democracy, social
contract
MAYFLOWER COMPACT, 1620
 In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the
Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace
of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith,
e&. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the
Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to
plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these
presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of
another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body
Politick, for our better Ordering and Preser vation , and Furtherance of
the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and
frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and
Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and
convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we
promise all due submission and obedience . In Witness whereof we
have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of
November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of
England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the
fifty -fourth. Anno Domini, 1620
THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT
Agreement made by the men of the
first Plymouth colony, where the
majority ruled.
THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT
Created a government based on town
meetings, where the majority vote
ruled.
An example of Direct Democracy.
Colonists saved by Squanto
First Thanksgiving
MASSACHUSETTS BAY COLONY
Large Puritan Colony in
North America, much
larger than Plymouth
Colony
Established in 1630
under the leadership of
John Winthrop and with
Boston as its capital
Settlers believed that
they were “A City on a
Hill”
PURITANS
 Religious movement begun in England by those who wished to
purify the Church of England. Puritans believed in a literal
interpretation of the Bible and that salvation depended on the will
of God and not on observance of rituals.
 The Puritans followed the teachings of the theologian John Calvin.
They believed that they could prepare for God’s saving grace by
leading moral lives, praying devoutly, reading the Bible, and
heeding their minister’s sermons.
 But not even the most devout could claim salvation as a right and a
certainty, for they believed God alone determined who was saved.
Salvation depended on the will of God rather than good behavior or
adherence to church rules (elected vs. choice).
PURITANS
 Puritans came from all ranks of English society, including
aristocrats. Most belonged to “the middling sort” – a term
used to describe small-property holders, farmers,
shopkeepers, and skilled artisans. Their modest properties put
them economically ahead of much of the English population.
 Puritanism reinforced the values of thrift, diligence, and
morality. Puritans insisted that men honored God by working
hard in their occupations. One Puritan explained, “God sent
you unto this world as unto a Workhouse, not a Playhouse.
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
New England’s colonial society and
government was based on religious
standing (the religious leaders were
also the political leaders)
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
1) New England communities were
closed religious communities.
Everyone went to the same church.
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
2) The Puritans grew increasingly intolerant of
dissenters who challenged their belief in the
connection between religion and government
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
“Protestant Work Ethic” –
Puritans religious beliefs were closely
tied to values of hard work and thrift.
SALEM WITCH TRIALS
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
 Roger Williams
Broke away from Plymouth/
were banned (for his
“dangerous” ideas), forms Rhode
Island Colony
Desired “separation of church
and state”
May have been one of the 1 st
abolitionist in English colonies…
forbade any type of slavery and
was friendly to natives (wanted
to actually pay them for land!).
THE MIDDLE COLONIES
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Maryland, and Delaware
GEOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
Average soil quality and
average growing seasons.
ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS
 The Middle colonies developed
economies based on ship building,
small-scale farming, and trading
ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS
Ports in this region such as New York,
Philadelphia, and Baltimore began
to grow as seaports and commercial
centers
POLITICAL CHARACTERISTICS


New Netherland established by the Dutch in 1650 along the
Hudson River.
Established the town of New Amsterdam, but did not
defend it well.
POLITICAL CHARACTERISTICS
 The British took the colony by
force in 1663 and renamed it New
York.
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
The Middle Colonies were home to many diverse cultural and
religious groups such as Swedes, Germans and Dutch.
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
1) Believed in ideas of religious
freedom.
Quakers in Pennsylvania
Catholics in Maryland
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
2) These colonies were chiefly settled
by English, Dutch, and German
speaking immigrants seeking
religious freedom and economic
opportunity
3) In the Middle Colonies there was a
strong belief in religious freedom
and religious tolerance
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
4) The Middle colonies had a more
flexible society and they began to
develop a middle class of skilled
artisans, entrepreneurs (business
owners), and small farmers
CATHOLICS IN ENGLISH COLONIES
Fled England due to discrimination
of Anglicans
Settle in Maryland
Catholics will be the most hated
religious group in the 13 colonies
until well after the American
Revolution. (tell GA story, Mr.
Arzillo)
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
Why might having your government
choosing a state religion be bad?
Examples?
ISIS? Iran?
THE SOUTHERN COLONIES
Virginia, North Carolina, South
Carolina, and Georgia
GEOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
Warm weather,
good soil and
long growing
seasons.
ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS
Virginia and the other Southern
colonies developed economies in
the Eastern coastal lowlands based
on large plantations
ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS
 These plantations typically grew
“cash crops” such as tobacco,
indigo, and rice for export to Britain
ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS
Further inland, however, in the mountains
and valleys of the Appalachian mountain
foothills (Shenandoah Valley) the
economy was based on small scale
subsistence farming and hunting and
trading
POLITICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Virginia House of Burgesses – Later
called the General Assembly.
First elected assembly in the New
World
Representative Democracy
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
Virginia and Southern colonies had a
social structure and government based
on family status and the ownership of
land
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
Large landowners in the Eastern lowlands
dominated colonial government and
society and they maintained an
allegiance to the Church of England
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
Virginia and the Southern colonies had
the closest social ties to England
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
Slaveholding elite along the coast vs. subsistence farming
lower class in the interior


Leads to problems in the Civil War
WHY DID PEOPLE RISK LEAVING THEIR
HOMELAND TO COME TO NORTH AMERICA?
 Economic Opportunity
 Cash Crops (sugar, indigo, tobacco, cotton)
 Indentured Servants (poor English peasants)
 Forced
 African Slaves
 Plantation System (large farm system)
 Middle Passage (slave route to Americas)
 Religious Freedom
THE 13 COLONIES
What do they have
in common?
 Self Government
 Legislatures
w/elected members
 Governor (elected or
appointed by king)
 Salutary neglect- King
not enforcing strict
laws