The first 13 Colonies

The New England Colonies

Massachusetts (Maine)

New Hampshire

Rhode IslandConnecticut

Massachusetts

Reasons for coming to the USA.

Some people didn’t like the Church of England.

They wanted the Church to be more pure. These people were called Puritans.

They decided to start a colony in the North East part of the USA.

Settling in Massachusetts John Winthrop was the

leader of the Puritans. Massachusetts means at or

near the great hill in Algonkian, Native American language.

The colony’s first settlement was Boston along the Charles River.

They wanted to still be a part of England, but have a more “pure” religion.

New England Colonies Religions

Church is very important to colonists in

this region, especially the Puritans who

are very strict. People come from England

for religious freedom. The Pilgrims

think the English Church kept too many

Catholic ways. There is a large variety

of beliefs in the New England colonies.

Typically each settlement is for a specific

belief, although any religion is allowed

in Providence.

Colonial Life Massachusetts and

Connecticut had laws saying that if there were 50 families, a teacher needed to be hired and a school setup.

These schools were called grammar or writing schools.

Schools

Boys went to grammar schools while girls went to dame school.

There was no chalkboards, maps, or paper.

School teachers were strict and were allowed to hit their students or make them wear a dunce hat.

Physical Geography

The land had poor, rocky soil and a short growing season. This was not good for crops.

The ocean, Charles River, and other various

lakes and rivers provided many varieties

of seafood. Whales were also abundant in this region.

Climate

There is snow in the winter. Short growing season. Spring and summer are cool and

comfortable.

Natural ResourcesThere was a large variety of seafood,

including fish, lobster and whales. The

seafood was obtained by the many bodies

of water in New England. There was

also wild deer and hogs for food. There

were many forests. There are maple trees

in the forests which provide wood and

sap for syrup. There was also granite.

Manufacturing in the New England Colonies

Naval products : All the things needed to build and sail a ship.

England encouraged the New England shipbuilding industry: England’s forests were used up.

Middle Colonies

The Middle colonies included:

New York (NY) , New Jersey (NJ) , Delaware (DE), and Pennsylvania (PA).

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NY

NJ

DE

PA

Resources

The climate was good farming land for grains and raising livestock. They called the Middle Colonies “The Breadbasket”. Other resources were furs and iron.

Manufacturing in the Middle Colonies

Manufacturing in the Middle Colonies : iron ore products like tools, kettles, nails and plows and huge blocks of iron to export to Britain.

People Groups

People came from Germany, Scotland & Ireland.

-Quakers (plain living, peaceful, against slavery and dancing)

-Germans (Pennsylvania Dutch, skilled workers and loved music).

-Scotch-Irish farmed and hunted.

Interesting Facts about Middle Colonies

-Called Breadbasket of Colonial America. The farmers raised a surplus so they could sell.

-Germans invented Pennsylvania rifle & Conestoga wagon.

-Philadelphia means brotherly love.

William Penn

-William Penn owned Pennsylvania and made it a place for religious freedom.

Religion

There was more religious freedom in the Middle Colonies than in New England. No single church or religion dominated in the Middle Colonies.

Southern Colonies

The Southern Colonies included: Maryland (MD), Virginia (VA), North Carolina (NC), South Carolina (SC), and Georgia (GA).

MD

VA

NC

SC

GA

Southern Colonies Climate

Rich land, plenty of rain & a long growing season. Coastal plains, swamps, forests, harbors.

People Groups

-Maryland was a safe place for Roman Catholics. -South Carolina settled by French. -Georgia founded by Oglethorpe for new start for

debtors in England.

What about people in Georgia? Last of the original 13 colonies was Georgia. In

1733 the king gave land to a man named James Oglethrope. The king planned this colony as a place to get rid of people in England he did not want. The colony was to protect the other colonies from he French and Spanish to the south and west. Oglethorpe brought many people to Georgia who had been in jail or who owed money they could not pay. The first settlement was Savannah. Georgia was named in honor of King George of England.

Interesting Facts about Southern Colonies

-Southern Plantations used slaves to harvest cash crops.

The cash crop for Virginia was tobacco.

Indigo and rice was also grown in the Southern Colonies.

The Triangular Trade Routes

During the 1600s and 1700s, people who lived on the continents of Europe, Africa, and North America all had products that the others needed. For example, Europeans produced furniture and tools, while colonists in North America had fish and lumber. Many ships crossed the Atlantic Ocean carrying these and other goods to trade between the continents. The three continents formed the

points of large triangles, giving the trade routes their name.

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