The American Colonies

Jamestown, VA May 13, 1607: Arrival of 104 Male Settlers

WHY?For what reasons did individuals come to America?

Colonizing America•Wealth

Colonizing America•Religious dissent

Types of Colonies

• Royal Colonies–King–Ruled by royal governor

Types of Colonies•Proprietary

–Individuals or groups–King gifted land

Types of Colonies• Charter

–Established by charters–King–Colonies governed themselves

Regional Divisions

New England Colonies

Massachusetts (1620)• Pilgrims (Plymouth)

– Separatists• wanted to separate from the

Anglican Church

– 1st Thanksgiving

– Mayflower Compact• 41 men drew up the

agreement to outline fair and equal laws for the colony; signed on the Mayflower

• 1620

Massachusetts (1630)• Puritans

• Purify and reform Anglican Church• Massachusetts Bay Colony• Strict religious beliefs; radical

• John Winthrop“for wee must Consider that wee shall be as a Citty

upon a Hill, the eies of all people are uppon us; soe that if wee shall deale falsely with our god in this worke wee have undertaken and soe cause him to withdrawe his present help from us”

City Upon A Hill, 1630

– New Hampshire (1630)• John Mason• English and Scots-Irish settlers• Economic freedom• Settled for religious freedom• Escape for those constricted by harsh religious and

economic rules of the Puritans

• Royal Colony

– Rhode Island (1636)• Roger Williams • Exiled by Puritans in Mass. settled in Providence• Religious freedom• Trade

– Connecticut (1636)• Thomas Hooker• Dutch (economic freedom) and English (religious

freedom)• Asked to leave by Mass.• Agriculture and trade

Middle Colonies

– New York (1626)• Peter Minuit• Dutch (Netherlands), taken over by English• Trade and profits• Anglican• Proprietary to royal colony

– New Jersey (1660)• Lord Berkley• Established by Sweden became English• Agriculture, trade and profits• Proprietary to royal colony

– Delaware (1638)• Peter Minuit• Dutch, Swedish and English• Farming, trade and profits• Proprietary

Pennsylvania (1682)– William Penn– Proprietary– Home to many European

Immigrants: Swedish, Dutch, English, Scots-Irish and German

– Farming

• Quakers– Equality and all possessed

“Inner Light”– Pennsylvania

Southern Colonies

Virginia (1607)• Jamestown• 1st permanent settlement mostly males

(indentured servants and treasure hunters)• 60/900 colonists survived• Ruled by John Smith• Founded by the Virginia Company

– Joint-stock company: organized to raise money by selling stocks/shares to investors

– Becomes royal

House of Burgesses (1619)-22 representatives called burgesses met to outline laws for the colony

– Maryland (1634)• George Calvert• Religious freedom for

Catholics• Established for trade,

finding precious metals and to locate a water passage across the continent

• Farming• Proprietary

Maryland Act of Toleration• 1649• Granted freedom of worship for all

Catholics• Symbolic beginning of freedom of religion

– North Carolina (1653)• Group of proprietors: business venture• Settlers from Virginia • Farming, trade and profit• Anglican

– South Carolina (1670)• Group of proprietors• Settlers from France, English, Africans and Irish• Food crops• Anglican• Proprietary to royal

– Georgia (1733)• General James Oglethorpe• Spanish settlements taken by English• Debtors and convicts protect colonies from Spanish and

French invasions• Slow economic growth farmed, harvested lumber and traded

furs