The 13 Colonies
4th Grade
Reasons for Coming to the New
World: Work-Religion-Land
• To find work
• To have the opportunity to practice their chosen
religion
• To buy their own land
The Thirteen Colonies
• When the first people came
to America they settled in
areas that later became
states.
• States had not been formed
yet so these areas of
settlement were called
colonies.
The Thirteen Colonies
• A colony is "a region that is ruled by a
faraway government."
• In most of the American colonies, the
government that ruled from afar was
that of England.
The New England Colonies
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Massachusetts (1620)
Rhode Island (1636)
Connecticut (1636)
New Hampshire (1638)
Life in New England
• Most New Englanders were farmers
• They work small plots of land growing crops such as
wheat, oats, and peas
• They grew only enough to feed their families
• Large farms were difficult so the New Englanders had to
find another way to earn a living
• They specialized in fishing and ship building
• The coast had many good harbors
• Thick forest provided wood for building ships
• The harbors and forest helped develop a great
shipbuilding industry
Fishing and Whaling
• The ocean water off the New England coast was full of
fish
• Many colonists made their money by catching and selling
fish
• Merchants sold most of their fish as exports to Europe
• The colonists also hunted whales
• The trading between the colonists were voluntary which
means the trading helped everyone
Triangular Trade
• The products of the New England colonies were often
traded to other places
• They shipped fish and lumber to Europe, Africa, and the
West Indies
• They also brought in goods from these countries (Import)
• The trading between North America, Europe, and Africa
formed an imaginary triangle across the Atlantic Ocean
Triangular Trade
Slavery
• Some traders in the triangular trade made money by
selling human beings
• Many Africans died of disease or hunger along the way to
North America
• Africans were sold to colonists and forced to work
• Slave trade was the business of buying and selling human
beings
Home and Community Life
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New England families were large
They lived in small wooden houses
Most light came from candles and lamps with whale oil
Many homes had one main room
Families slept on mattresses near the fire to keep warm
Work in the House
• Almost everything a family needed had to be grown or
made by hand at home
• Men and boys spent most of their time in the fields
tending to the farms
• Women and girls spent their time preparing and
preserving food for the winter
• Women and girls also made household items like
clothing, soap, and candles
Education and Recreation
• Puritans wanted everyone to read the bible
• Some parents taught their children to read and write at
home
• Many New England colonies had schools
• The families worked hard in the fields, but they also
made time for play
The Great Awakening
• Religion was a central part of New England Life
• Many ministers began moving throughout the New
England colonies to convince the colonists to renew their
faith
• Many colonists joined the Protestant groups
The Middle Colonies
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New York (1626)
Delaware (1638)
New Jersey (1664)
Pennsylvania (1682)
New York and New Jersey
• The middle colonies settlements began in 1664
• The King of England gave land to his brother James,
Duke of York, to start a colony
• The Duke of York, was a proprietor, person who owns
and controlled the land
• James Kept part of the land and gave the rest to two
friends, John Berkeley and George Carteret
• They divided the land into East Jersey and West Jersey
• They combined the land in 1702 to form New Jersey
New York and New Jersey
• The proprietors of New York and New Jersey wanted to
make money
• They divided the fertile land into smaller lots and sold
them to colonists to farm
• They proprietors lived in England so it was difficult to
control the property
• They picked governors to rule the colonies for them
• They also allowed the colonists to choose a representative
to attend the assembly meetings to give voice to the
colonies
Pennsylvania and Delaware
• William Penn decided to began the colony of
Pennsylvania
• He was a member of the religious group, the Quakers
• The Quakers believed that all Christians should be free to
worship in their own way
• King Charles II owed Penn money and repaid him with
land which he used to begin the colony of Pennsylvania
• Penn created laws that allowed colonists to voice their
opinions and worship freely
Pennsylvania and Delaware
• The colonists were also allowed to elect a representative
to the assembly
• Penn treated the Indians with respect
• Penn also made fair treaties with the Native Americans of
the Delaware
Philadelphia
• Philadelphia is Pennsylvania’s first large city
• The city was located on the Delaware and Schuykill
Rivers
• The rivers allowed ships to bring goods from other
colonies and from Europe
• Philadelphia soon became a center of trade
• Benjamin Franklin was Philadelphia’s most famous
citizen
• He published newspapers and books, started libraries fire
companies, and hospitals, and developed many inventions
Making a Living
• The climate and soil of the Middle Colonies were
excellent for farming
• Men and women spent long hours in the fields farming
• Children helped out as soon as they were old enough
• Boys help plant and harvest and girls helped cook, sew,
and do housework
• They grew vegetables, fruits, and grains (wheat, corn, and
barley)
• They were known as the “breadbasket” of the thirteen
colonies
Making a Living
• Farming was so good in the Middle Colonies, that the
families often had a surplus which they sold for a living
• They used the long rivers to ship their surplus to other
colonies
• The Middle Colonies had a free market economy where
the people decides what will be produced
• Colonists in the Middle Colonies were free to make
decisions they believed would earn them the most money
Life in the Middle Colonies
• A Mix of People
• People in the Middle Colonies came from many lands
• Many were Quakers or Protestant churches, Jews and
Catholics
• The population was diverse because of religious tolerance
• There was a large population because the land was
inexpensive
• People came to the Middle Colonies to escape
punishment for their religious beliefs, to farm their own
land, to find a better way of life
City Life
• Philadelphia and New York were the two largest cities
and most important cities in the Middle Colonies
• Both cities had ports and were the centers for shipping
and trade
• Laborers found work in the cities
• Some of the laborers in the Middle Colonies were
enslaved Africans
• Many people in the city became apprentices who studied
with a master to learn a skill
• Many children in the Middle Colonies learned to read and
write, but work was more important
The Southern Colonies
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Maryland (1632)
Virginia (1607)
North Carolina (1729)
South Carolina (1663)
Georgia (1732)
Virginia
• In 1607 Virginia became the first permanent English
colony in North America
• A plantation is a large farm on which crops are raised by
workers who live on the farm
• Most plantation workers were indentured servants or
enslaved Africans
• Plantation owners became wealthy by growing cash crops
(tobacco, rice, indigo)
Governing the Colony
• As the colony of Virginia grew, the people wanted to have
a voice in the laws of the colony
• In 1619, they created the first elected legislature, people
with the power to make and change laws
• This legislature was called the House of Burgess
• Most members of the House of Burgess were members of
the Church of England which became the official church.
• Other religions had to leave the colony
New Colonies in the South
• Between 1632 and 1732, four more colonies were
established in the south
Maryland
• The colony of Maryland began in 1632
• King Charles gave land to Cecilius Calvert, also known
as Lord Baltimore
• Calvert wanted to make Maryland a refuse, safe place, for
Catholics
• In 1649, Maryland passed a Tolerance Act which
promised Christians free worship
The Carolinas
• During the late 1600’s, England, Spain, and France
claimed land south of Virginia
• King Charles II wasted to start another colony on this
land
• In 1663 King Charles began a colony south of Virginia
called Carolina
• Colonists settled in the southern part of the Carolinas
• Farming was good and there were many harbors
• When the colony grew too large, it became two colonies
in 1729 (North Carolina and South Carolina)
Georgia
• In 1732 King George II started another colony to keep the
Spanish and French away from South Carolina
• He gave the land to James Oglethorpe
• The colony was named Georgia to honor King George
• Oglethorpe wanted the land to be a place for poor people
and debtors (who owed money)
• He offered them free trips to Georgia and small farms to
own
• Oglethorpe made strict rules for this colony
• Colonists did not like the rules
Georgia
• The laws were later changed
• Slaves were brought in to work the large farms
• Georgia became a wealthy plantation colony