Colony
Virginia Colony
(Jamestown-1607)
(VA Colony-1624)
Massachusetts Bay Colony
(Plymouth Colony-1620)
(MA Bay Colony-1630)
Year
Founded
1607
1630
(1620)
Founder
Reason/Purpose for Founding
John Smith/Virginia Company
Jamestown was originally founded from a desire to gain
wealth and to a lesser extent to convert the natives to
Christianity. Virginia became a royal colony in 1624 when
King James I revoked the charter of the bankrupt Virginia
Company. He felt threatened by the representative
assembly known as the House of Burgesses. His timely
death in 1625 ended his plans of disbanding the assembly.
John Winthrop & other Puritans
The Puritans wanted to create a colony where they would
be free to practice their religion. In 1629, King Charles I
began to take action against the Puritans. John Winthrop,
who had previously not been associated with the company
decided to join and help colonize the Massachusetts Bay
colony. He would later become its governor.
New Hampshire Colony
1623
John Mason
New Hampshire was a planned colony. The land in the New
World was granted to Captain John Mason who lived in
Hampshire County, England. He sent settlers to the new
territory to create a fishing colony. However, he died before
ever seeing where he had spent a considerable amount of
money building towns and defenses.
Maryland Colony
1634
George Calvert ( Lord Baltimore)
Lord Baltimore was motivated both by the desire for profit
and the desire to create a refuge for Roman Catholics who
were still being persecuted in Protestant England.
Connecticut Colony
1636
Thomas Hooker
Rhode Island Colony
1636
Roger Williams
Individuals from the Massachusetts colony moved to what
would become Connecticut because they were looking for
more freedom and financial opportunities
Roger Williams was banished to England by the
Massachusetts Bay Colony for his beliefs in separation of
church and state and freedom of religion. He fled and lived
with the Narragansett Indians and formed Providence in
1636. Anne Hutchinson was also banished for speaking out
against the Church in Massachusetts Bay. She formed
Portsmouth.
Two other settlements arose and all four joined
together with permission from England to form Providence
Plantations – later called Rhode Island.
Delaware Colony
1638
Peter Minuit & New Sweden Co.
Peter Minuit was Dutch and formed New Sweden as part of
New Netherland. When Charles II, King of England gave his
brother James, the Duke of York, New Netherland, James
demanded and received its surrender. He renamed New
Sweden to Delaware.
North Carolina Colony
1653
Virginians
In 1653, some Virginians settled in what would become
North Carolina. In 1663, King Charles II issued a royal
charter to eight nobles to settle the area south of Virginia.
They created Carolina and included the previous
settlement. However, because of internal problems, the
crown took over the colony and formed North and South
Carolina out of it in 1729.
South Carolina Colony
1663
1664
Eight nobles with a royal charter
See above.
Lord Berkley, Sir George Carteret
New York Colony
1664
Duke of York
In 1664, James, the Duke of York, received control of New
Netherland. He granted land to two of his friends, Lord
Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, that would become New
Jersey. The two advertised and promised settlers many
benefits for colonizing including representative government
and freedom of religion. The colony quickly grew.
Quakers eventually purchased both of their charters
and created East and West Jersey which were joined by the
crown in 1702.
In 1664, James, the Duke of York, received control of New
Netherland. The name of the colony was changed to New
York in honor of the Duke.
Pennsylvania Colony
1682
William Penn
William Penn founded Pennsylvania with a land grant that
was owed his deceased Father. His goal was to create a
colony that allowed for freedom of religion due to his desire
to protect himself and fellow Quakers from persecution.
Georgia Colony
1732
James Oglethorpe
In 1732, James Oglethorpe was given a charter from King
George II to create a new colony which he would name
Georgia. This was located between South Carolina and
Florida. It had two main purposes: to serve as a place
where debtors in prison could go to start anew and it
served as a barrier against Spanish expansion from Florida.
New Jersey Colony
Note: Information mainly from: http://americanhistory.about.com/library/charts/blcolonial13.htm