Characteristics of the Colonies Flashcards
Massachusetts Bay Colony 1620
1620 in Plymouth. reason for settling was religious freedom. founded by the separatists led by William Bradford who left England because they wanted to form their own church. Their ship was supposed to land in New York but landed in cape cod. They are now called the Pilgrims.
1630 Puritans who wanted to purify the Church of England also came and settled in the MA bay colony
What were the Characteristics of the New England Colonies?
- Although they were formed for different reasons, they had things in common:
1. They banded together for protection from the Native Americans
2. They banded together to help each other survive in the cold, snowy northeastern winters
3. The rocky soil and short growing season meant that New England was not good for cash crops. Most farmers grew crops and raised animals for their own use and to sell in the local community
4. Many New Englanders worked in fishing, shipbuilding, and trading, especially furs, fish, and later whale oil
New Hampshire Colony 1630
1630 reason for settling more fertile farming area
John Mason led a group of Puritans to a more fertile farming area which was called the New Hampshire colony.
Connecticut Colony 1636
settled in 1636 reason for settling religious freedom
settled by Thomas Hooker, a Puritan minister who thought that the Puritan leaders in the MA bay colony were behaving badly as the King of England and decided to begin another colony.
Rhode Island Colony 1636
settled in 1636 reason for settling was religious freedom
settled by by Roger Williams, a Puritan minister who thought that the Puritan leaders in the MA bay colony were behaving badly as the King of England and decided to begin another colony.
What were the characteristics of the Middle Colonies?
The middle colonies had good soil and a moderate climate so farmers could grow large amounts of grain and raise animals for market.
Most indentured servants worked in this region, especially Pennsylvania
Trade was also a significant part of the economy of the region. New York and Philadelphia were important ports through which many colonial products made their way to Europe or the West Indies
New York 1626
1664 reason for settling - trade
Henry Hudson, English sea captain explored the coast of the Northern North America for a Dutch trading company. reported that there were natives in the New World who were willing to trade fur
King of Netherlands formed the Dutch East India Company and i 1623 sent people to trade with the natives and begin a new colony called New Netherlands new Amsterdam
Dutch Governor bought Manhattan for $24 worth of trinkets and beads from Native Americans
England claimed this land and in 1664 the two countries came to war. England won without firing a single shot
Renamed New York after the Duke of York and the land across the Hudson River was called New Jersey after an island off the coast of England.
Pennsylvania 1682
1682 reason for settling religious freedom
Society of Friends, later called the Quakers led by William Penn left England after they were jailed and then released by the king who owed William Penn’s father money. He asked the king to give him land in America which the king agreed and so William Penn and his fellow Quakers settled in Pennslyvania which means Penn’s woods.
Delaware 1682
also given to William Penn because the English nobleman to whom it belonged thought that such a small colony was not worth the effort it took to run. Delaware only declared itself separate from PA in 1776 at the same time it declared itself independent from England.
What were the characteristics of the Southern colonies?
The Southern Colonies also had good soil, as well as a long growing season. Cotton and tobacco plants thrived here, as did rice and Indigo.
Large plantations required large numbers of workers, and so slavery was most common in the Southern colonies.
Virginia 1607
1607 reason for settling trading goods.
The very first British colony in the New World was at Jamestown, Virginia. Led by John Smith, settlers came to the colony in 1607 to trade goods from the New World with England.
North and South Carolina 1633
1633 reason for settling business
King Charles I of England gave a grant of land “south of Virginia” to a group of his friends. They wanted to use the colony for their businesses.The friends named their colony “Carolina” in the King’s honor. The settlers soon discovered that many people from VA were already living in the northern parts of the area that the new colony controlled. The two groups - the newcomers and the Virginians - argued frequently and in 1680 the colony was divided into two colonies, North and South Carolina.
Maryland 1634
1634 reason for settling religious freedom
founded by a group of English Catholics who could not practice their religion in England. Their leader, Lord Baltimore, sent about 300 settlers to the colony. They founded the settlement of St. Mary’s, later called Baltimore.
Georgia 1732
1732 reason for settling barrier
Georgia was the last of the original thirteen colonies. 1732 King George II granted permission for the formation of the new colony, intending it as a barrier between the rest of the British colonies to the North and the Spanish possessions to the south. It was the colony where most of the “sturdy beggars” were sent by British judges when they could not pay their debts.
How were the British colonies different from the other colonies?
- People in the British colonies had the right to govern themselves
- They didn’t have royal governors telling them what laws they must follow or what religion they were to believe in
- from the beginning, they had their own ideas about how they wanted to live
e. g. Fundamental Orders of Connecticut is the thought to be the first constitution of our time that would really work. it was written by the people of CT in 1639.
