THE 13 COLONIES

REVIEW
Before we get to the 13 colonies, lets review
what has happened to lead up to the
establishment of the 13 colonies
Review
So far, we have learned that many European nations
began to send explorers around the world hoping to
claim land, find riches, and spread their religion. Many
nations were looking for the Northwest Passage which
was a shortcut through North America to reach Asia
for trade.


Once the American continents
were discovered European countries (nations)
competed with each other to claim the most land.


CONQUISTADORS ( SPANISH EXPLORERS
Review
In order to compete with Spain and France,
England sent many people to the east coast of
America to establish colonies. England was
happy to support the growth of colonies
(towns) in America because it helped
England claim land in the New World.


The First Colony
After several early attempts, English
colonization became a success in 1607 when
the Virginia Company of England sent a group
of men to Jamestown, Virginia to build a
colony.



Jamestown would become the first
permanent and successful English colony
in America.
REVIEW
Twenty years after the start of Jamestown, another
group of people called the Pilgrims headed to America
from England.




Unlike the Jamestown colonists who wanted land and
a chance to make money, these Pilgrims were
looking for religious freedom. The Pilgrims landed
just north of Virginia, in Plymouth Massachusetts, and
began the Plymouth colony.

PURITANS AND PILGRIMS
Government in the Colonies
All of the colonies were settled with
The permission of the king of England.
The King of England issued
charters (formal documents) that
outlined the colonys boundaries and
how it would be governed.

However, since the colonies were so far
away from England they still needed to
be able to make their own laws to keep
peace and order.

Im the king of
England!
I control the 13
colonies!!

Early
Government
Since the colonies were so far from England,
most of the colonies were allowed to have
self-rule (self-government) where they
developed laws for themselves

The first form of self-rule in the colonies began
with the Pilgrims as they signed the
Mayflower Compact on their way to
Massachusetts.
House of Burgesses and
Representative Government
Many of the colonies decided to create
assemblies where members of the community
could get together and discuss concerns in the
colonies. Often people would elect
representatives to speak on behave of the
colony as a whole.



The House of Burgesses became the first
form of a representative government in
America.





THE HOUSE OF BURGESSES
( Representative Government- where you elect representatives)

England claims land along the
Atlantic Coastline
Over time, more and more people headed from
Europe to America. England claimed most of the
land along the east coast of America so many
people who landed in what would become the 13
colonies were from the European nation of
England.

The 13 Colonies
By 1770 the America had grown into 13 English
colonies. These colonies developed distinctive
(unique) ways of life that would affect the
development of America for years to come.


People in the Colonies
Most of the colonists felt they were citizens of
England even though they were in the
American colonies.




Many colonists came to America for the chance
to own land and start a new life or job in
America. Others came to find religious freedom.
There were some who did not have a choice.

People in the Colonies
A number of convicts (people in jail) were forced
to go to America to work off their debts(money
you owe) as indentured servants. And millions
of people were kidnapped from Africa and taken
to the colonies to work as slaves.

What is an Indentured Servant?

An indentured servant is a person who
signed an indenture( agreement) to work
for a master for a period of years in
exchange for something. For example,
land or a ride to America
were both common things these
poor servants wanted to work for.


Indentured servants were not free until they completed
their term of service. Most indentured servants were
released from their master after they completed around
7 years of work.


Grouping the 13 Colonies
By 1733, there were 13
British/English colonies
along the Atlantic coastline.
They can be grouped into
three distinct regions: The
New England, Middle, and
Southern Colonies. These
regions had different
climates and resources that
encouraged settlers to
develop different ways of
life.

Map of the 13 colonies

NEW ENGLAND
MIDDLE
SOUTHERN


THE
NEW ENGLAND
COLONIES
New England Colonies
( The New England region included the colonies of
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire.)
In New England, farming was difficult because of
the long, cold winters, rocky soil and hilly
wilderness. However, the sea and forests
produced useful resources and ways to make a
living.

NEW ENGLAND
In the New England Colonies, religion and
geography were two of the greatest influences
of life in New England.




The Puritans and Pilgrims of this region hoped to
build model communities based on their
religious faith. New Englands forests and
coastline made lumbering, shipbuilding and
trade very important to the regions economy.

Middle Colonies
pictures
The Southern Colonies
pictures





The Backcountry
pictures