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Jamestown / Virginia
In 1607 three Virginia Company ships set sail. They anchored off a marshy island, where colonists built a settlement called Jamestown. The colony struggled against disease, famine, and hostile Indians. But Jamestown eventually flourished. -
Massachusetts
In 1629 John Winthrop led a much larger group of Puritants to New England. They founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Winthrop became its first governor. Colonists developed a democratic government. -
Maryland
George Calvert, Lord Baltimore, was a Roman Catholic. He wanted to build a colony for all Christians, including Catholics. In 1632 King Charles I of England granted him land north of Virginia. A group os 200 settlers landed in Maryland in 1634. They bought land from the Indians. They built large farms called plantations. Tobacco became their cash crop. -
Providence / Rhode Island
One early protester against the Puritants was Roger Williams. In 1636 he founded Providence, which became the olony of Rhode Island. -
Connecticut
Another group from Massachusetts settled on the Connecticut River. They built a village called Hartford. They were soon governing themselves as the colony of Connecticut. -
New York and New Jersey
In 1638 Swedish settlers sailed into the Delaware River. In 1655 Dutch troops seized the Swedish settlements. However, less than ten years later, an English fleet sailed into New Amsterdam. New Netherland was renamed New York, in onor of the king's brother the duke of York. The city of New York soon became a large seaport. New Jersey grew as settler moved in from the east. -
Puritans
Oliver Cromwell's regime offered false hope that the Purtians would establish a godly government in England, and the Restoration in 1660 shattered the Puritans' dreams of reforming the English church and state. -
New Hampshire
In 1622 the king allowed Sir Ferdinando Gorges and Jhon Mason to settle farther north. Later, the two men divided the lan. Gorges took the Main section. Masson took New Hampshire. Pioneers from Massachusetts moved north. They bulit farms and villages. In 1679 New Hampshire became a separate colony. -
Pennsylvania
William Penn founded Pennsylvania in 1681. Penn had left the Church of England to become a Quaker. He built the colony so poeple could worship in their own way and share in the government. -
Delaware
In 1682 William Penn was given another grant of land south of Pennsylvania. It became the colony of Delaware. -
South and North Carolina
Pioneer from Virginia sold forest products to shipbuilders in England. In 1163 the king og England named this region Carolina. The king later divided the region into two royal colonies. In 1721 he created South Carolina. And in 1729 he created North Carolina. -
Georgia
The last of the 13 colonies, Georgia, was founded by James Oglethorpe. In those days English debtors were sent to jail. Many remained behind bars for years. Oglethorpe knew that many prisoners were poor but honest. They could become good colonists. In 1732 Oglethorpe attained a land grant between South Carolina and the Spanish colony of Florida.