The Thirteen Colonies

16th century England was not interested in exploration and colonization, but for the most part, English colonies in North America were more for bussiness and in search of gold . It did provide extra land for Englands growing population and for those who seeked more religious freedom. Englands colonization in the new world led to the Thirteen Colonies made up of the New England Colonies, The Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies each having seperate religious beliefs, laws, and goverments. The first English emigrants to the New England Colonies were Puritan separatists or Pilgrims which arrived in Plymouth in 1620. A wealthy group of individuals known as the Massachusetts Bay Company sent a large group of Puritans to establish another Massachusetts Settlement. The Colonists faced many obstacles but with the help of local Native Americans, they soon learned how to farm, fish, and hunt well enough and Massachusetts was succussfully established. Massachusetts settlements continued to expand and created even more new colonies in New England. Puritans who thought Massachusetts was not religious enough formed New Haven and Connecticut. Puritans who felt Massachusetts was too restrictive formed the colony of Rhode Island where there was religious freedom. A couple of settlers formed a New Colony to the north of Massachusetts, New Hampshire.

King Charles II gave the territory between New England and Virgina much was already captured by Dutch traders and landowners to his brother James also known as the Duke of York. The English eventually took the land from the Dutch people and Renamed it to New York. Most of the Dutch People stayed in the new Colony. The King gave about 45,000 square miles of land west of Delaware River to William Penn. Penn’s land became the Colony of Pennsylvania. People migrated from different parts of Europe to Penns land because of the fertile soil and religious toleration. Most of these emigrants paid their own way to the colonies, but they weren’t indentured servants. Pennsylvania became a successful colony. The Carolina colony wasn’t fully of many different people as it once was. In the northern part of Carolina hard working farmers barely managed to make a living.

In the southern part of Carolina, planters planters presided over many esates that produced corn, lumber, beef and pork, and starting in 1690s rice. These Carolina people had close ties to the English planter colony on the Caribbean island of Barbados. The island relied heavily on African slaves and many of them were involved in the Slave trade too because of this slavery played an important role in the creation of Carolina colony. It split into South Carolina and North Carolina. Englishman James Oglethorpe created the Georgia colony which in many ways almost copied South Carolina. Englands exploration and colonization led to the Esablishment of all Thirteen Colonies. These Thirteen Colonies were made up of The New England Colonies, Middle Colonies, Southern Colonies. All of these Colonies had different religious beliefs, laws, and goverments.