Colonial America

The Thirteen Colonies

The United States was formed from thirteen British colonies in 1776. Many of these
colonies had been around for well over 100 years including the first colony of Virginia
which was founded in 1607. See below for a map of the thirteen original colonies.

What is a colony?

A colony is a region of land that is under the political control of another country. Usually
the controlling country is physically far away from the colony, as was the case with
England and the American colonies. Colonies are typically founded and settled by
people from the home country, however, there may also be settlers from other
countries. This was especially true of the American colonies which had settlers from all
over Europe.
The Thirteen Colonies

Here is a list of the thirteen colonies with the year they were founded in () and a note on
how they were founded.

 Virginia (1607) - John Smith and the London Company.

 New York (1626) - Originally founded by the Dutch. Became a British colony in
1664.
 New Hampshire (1623) - John Mason was the first land holder. Later John
Wheelwright.
 Massachusetts Bay (1630) - Puritans looking for religious freedom.
  Maryland (1633) - George and Cecil Calvert as a safe haven for Catholics.
 Connecticut (1636) - Thomas Hooker after he was told to leave Massachusetts.
 Rhode Island (1636) - Roger Williams to have a place of religious freedom for all.
 Delaware (1638) - Peter Minuit and the New Sweden Company. British took over
in 1664.
 North Carolina (1663) - Originally part of the Province of Carolina. Split off from
South Carolina in 1712.
 South Carolina (1663) - Originally part of the Province of Carolina. Split off from
North Carolina in 1712.
 New Jersey (1664) - First settled by the Dutch, the English took over in 1664.
 Pennsylvania (1681) - William Penn and the Quakers.
 Georgia (1732) - James Oglethorpe as a settlement for debtors.

Why were the colonies established?

Queen Elizabeth wanted to establish colonies in the Americas in order to grow

the British Empire and to counter the Spanish. The English hoped to find wealth, create
new jobs, and establish trade ports along the coast of the Americas.

Each colony, however, has its own unique history on how it was founded. Many of the
colonies were founded by religious leaders or groups looking for religious freedom.
These colonies included Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, and
Connecticut. Other colonies were founded purely in hopes of creating new trade
opportunities and profits for investors.

Colonial Regions

The colonies are often divided up into three regions including the New England
Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies.

New England Colonies Middle Colonies Southern Colonies

 Connecticut  Delaware  Georgia

 Massachusetts Bay  New Jersey  Maryland
 New Hampshire  New York  North Carolina
 Rhode Island  Pennsylvania  South Carolina
 Virginia

Interesting Facts about the Thirteen Colonies

 Other American British colonies that never became states include the Lost
Colony of Roanoke and Plymouth Colony (which became part of Massachusetts
Bay Colony).
 Life was difficult for the early colonists. Less than half of the first settlers survived
the first winter at both Jamestown (Virginia) and at the Plymouth Colony.
 Many of the colonies were named after the rulers of England including the
Carolinas (for King Charles I), Virginia (for the Virgin Queen Elizabeth), and
Georgia (for King George II).
 Massachusetts was named after a local tribe of Native Americans.
 England also had colonies north of the Thirteen Colonies including
Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
 New York City was originally called New Amsterdam and was part of
the Dutch colony of New Netherland.