THE GROWTH OF THE THIRTEEN COLONIES 1607-1760
Motivations for Colonization Jamestown Economic prosperity Single men hoped to make fortunes in Virginia and return to England Previous explorers brought home tales of vast amounts of gold and other valuable resources English patriotism Adventurers wanted to stake English claim to prevent Spanish from taking over all of North America
Founding of Colony Jamestown 1607 Funded by London Company, a private enterprise Granted charter by King James, but no funding Company recruited people by promising that gold could be found by anyone who made the trip King predetermined government of colony
Initial Difficulties Jamestown Laziness of colonists Did not expect to do manual labor Depended on natives for food Disease and starvation killed 80% of the colonists in the first year Failed attempts to befriend Indians let to multiple skirmishes
Factors Contributing to Success Jamestown Captain John Smith took control of government instituted "no work, no eat" policy firm leadership helped colony survive first few difficult years ability to grow tobacco made land valuable population grew as a result
Colonies Grow and Develop Differently There are 13 colonies. They are along the Atlantic coast. They were divided into three groups» New England» Middle» Southern The ways of life were different.
Ways of Life Climate differed Government & Economy Religion & Society
THE AMERICAN COLONIES Region Geography Government & Economy Religion & Society NEW ENGLAND COLONIES Coastal areas with good harbors. Inland areas with dense forests. Poor rocky soil & short growing season. Small farms. Lumber mills. Fishing, Shipbuilding and Trade flourished. Cities developed along coast. slaves provided labor. MIDDLE COLONIES Fertile soil and long growing season. Rivers ran into backcountry. Colonies grew large amounts of rye, oats, barley, potatoes & wheat as cash crop. Cities on coast. Wealthiest people owned large farms & most business. Most farmers produced a small surplus. Tenants farmers rented land or worked for wages. Religious diversity: Catholic, Quaker, Protestant SOUTHERN COLONIES Favorable climate and soil for agriculture. Wide rivers made cities unnecessary. Tobacco, rice & indigo grown on large plantations as cash crops. Wealthy elite controlled most land. Labor supply: indentured servants & African slaves. Religion: Anglican
The New England Colonies The Puritans and the Pilgrims united and formed the colony of Massachusetts Rhode Island was found by Roger Williams
Life in Colonial England Most New Englanders were:» Farmers» Trade» Sailing by the sea They used ships called schooners were used to catch cod They also were known for whaling They used the whales for oil Boston was the largest city in the New England colonies.
Life in Colonial New England Schooling was very important to New Englanders. They believed that children should be able to read so they can read the Bible. Massachusetts passed a law about public education in 1647. The law said every town with 50 families or more must have a school.
The Middle Colonies The middle colonies unlike the other colonies had settlers from all different countries:» Europe» Germany» Holland» Sweden New Amsterdam became New York when it was attacked by the English. The English also took New Sweden from the Dutch and called it New Jersey.
Life in the Middle Colonies People lived on large farms far apart from each other. Families home schooled their children. The farms produced grains such as corn and wheat. They were known as the Breadbasket of America. Beaver fur was common for trade.
The Southern Colonies The Carolinas were discovered and divided in the North and South because of large settlement populations. They came for religious freedom They came for a chance to prosper.
Farms and Plantations in the Southern Colonies The farms produced large plantations of rice, indigo and tobacco. The big plantations were started along rivers on the coast.