Introduction: 05/09/2022

The First Colonies:

• To establish a colony you need money and to organize expeditions.

• Christopher Columbus organized severe expeditions that led to the discovery of America, and the
rst expedition was in the early 17th century.

• the rst colony that was established was not before the 17thy century, and before that Britain went
to North America and couldn't establish a colony permanently, there were shermen who spent
summers near the coast.

• The rst permanent settlement was in 1607 in an area called Virginia( it was called that because
there was an expedition in 1584 by an explorer called (Walter Raleigh) he explored North America
and he called an area Virginia in the honor of Queen Elizabeth (the Virgin Queen) in particularly in
Jamestown.

• And the aim of explorers was to make money by selling products to Europe

• Britain did not discover gold but they cultivated Tobacco in Virginia and sold it to Europe.

• More colonies were established in North America beginning in 1620 in North of Virginia in New
England.

• Virginia was the origin of plantation and where this system began and slavery as well.

• The basic di erence between the colony of Virginia and the colony of New England that is the
people who established these colonies are very di erent, because in Virginia settlers wanted to
make money where as settlers in New England wanted to practice religion freely because they
were persecuted(‫ )مضطهدين‬in England (and these people are called the puritans), they wanted to
create new societies where they can practice it.(spiritual reasons).

• the rst permanent English colony in New England was called Plymouth ( rst puritans colony) in
1620.

• The May ower Compact (an agreement between the settlers themselves) (they established
compact in order to govern the colony)

(May ower was an English ship at anspor d a group of English families, known day as e Pilgrims,
om England e New World in 1620).

( e Great Puritan migra on New England was marked om 1620 1640)

• The great migration of puritans between 1630 and 1640, many puritans left Britain and established
colonies around Plymouth.

• Pennsylvania was named after William Penn was the individual to whom Pennsylvania was
given by the King.

• By the end of the 17th century there were 13 colonies.

Remark:

A colony is not a settlements (settlement is the beginning of the colony), eg. Jamestown and
Plymouth were settlements, and from these settlements colonies were created.

by the end of the 17th century there were 13 colonies

North America were dominated by other powers than England such as Spain and France, and French
colonies used to be much bigger than the others.

• Eventually Britain managed to defeat France and as a result France empire in North America
became much smaller, so Britain was late in establishing colonies but nevertheless England
managed to defeat other European colonies and progressively Britain extended territories.