The English colonies were established along the Atlantic coast for several reasons: to gain more land and resources for England, to allow religious freedom for dissenting groups, and for economic opportunities for colonists. The 13 original colonies developed diverse economies including farming, fishing, manufacturing, and cash crops like tobacco. Self-governance emerged through documents like the Mayflower Compact and representatives bodies. The colonies prospered but England instituted policies like the Navigation Acts to control trade and maximize profits for the mother country under the mercantilist system.

2. Mother
Country
13 ENGLISH COLONIES: The English colonies developed along the Atlantic Ocean.
The colonies were created by the English government (Parliament and monarchy) for
several reasons:
1. Religious freedom. Groups such as the Pilgrims, Puritans, Quakers, and Roman
Catholics came for religious freedom.
2. Economic Reasons: Some colonists came in search of natural resources such as lumber,
agricultural products, animal skins, fish. Others came for free or cheap land and own their
own farms. Some colonists could not afford their passage over on a ship and came here as
Indentured Servants. Indentured Servants worked for a master for 7-10 years and were then
free.
3. Nationalism: England was competing with other European nations for land.
King George III
•England was the mother country of the English colonies. The English government,
monarchy, allowed the colonies to be created in order to gain control of the land and
the natural resources.
•English colonists brought ideas about human rights, laws, and government with
them to the New World and used these ideas to create their colonies.
•Some people left England and came to North America because they were being
persecuted for their religious beliefs.
1. Pilgrims: Plymouth Colony
2. Puritans: Massachusetts Bay Colony
3. Quakers: Pennsylvania Colony
4. Roman Catholics: Maryland Colony
5. Connecticut:
6. Rhode Island:
•Connecticut and Rhode Island were created by colonists who did not like the
Puritans in Massachusetts and wanted to start their own colonies to practice their
religion the way they wanted to.
•English Colonies created
along the Atlantic Coast.

3. •The English Colonies: The first successful English colony was
created at Jamestown, Virginia in the early 1600’s.
-3 important developments took place at Jamestown.
1. Cultivation of tobacco as a cash crop. Helped the
colony become successful.
2. Use of Africans; 1st
as indentured servants and then
as slaves.
3. Development of Self-Government: The colonists
were allowed to elect members to government body called the House
of Burgesses. This is an example of a representative government.
•Tobacco Plant: Grown
to be sold in Europe as a
Cash Crop.
•Africans arriving in Jamestown:
First used as Indentured Servants
and then as Slaves.
•House of
Burgesses:
Members in session.
Example of
Representative
Government

4. •The second successful English colony was Plymouth, Massachusetts.
-Colony created by the Pilgrims who left England because they were being persecuted due to their religious beliefs. They came to
the New World to create a colony where they could practice their religion the way they wanted to.
-Before leaving the Mayflower, they created the Mayflower Compact as a way to organize and run their colony. This is another
example of Self-government.
Pilgrims praying on landing in New World.
Going to Sunday service.
On board the
Mayflower.
•The Mayflower Compact: Before landing in
the New World, the Pilgrims created the
Mayflower Compact. This document served
as a guide for the creation of a government
that the Pilgrims could use to run the colony.
This is an example of self government because
the Pilgrims created it themselves, set up the
government, and ran the government on their
own.

5. •NEW ENGLAND COLONIES: Life in the New England colonies was
hard. The soil was rocky and not very good for large scale farming.
Most farms were small, family farms where corn and vegetables were
grown.
*Due to the difficulty of farming, the fishing industry, ship building, and
manufacturing became very important and successful.
*Most New England colonies were created for religious freedom:
Plymouth, Mass. Bay, Rhode Island, Connecticut.
Examples of Self-Government:
1. Mayflower Compact
2. Town Meetings: people would gather to discuss local issues and
vote on issues.
3. Fundamental Orders of Connecticut: Established and organized the
government for the Connecticut colony.
•The first winter is known as the “starving time” because the Pilgrims had run very low on their supplies and had to cut back their food rations in
order to survive. Many of the Pilgrims died during this first winter. In the spring, Native Americans, such as Squanto and Samoset showed the
Pilgrims how to hunt, fish, and grow crops (corn, beans, and squash).
•Native Americans helped the Pilgrims to
farm by showing them how to plant seeds
with a fish for fertilizer.

6. •MIDDLE COLONIES: These colonies enjoyed a mix of farming and
manufacturing. Farming was very successful and the area became known as
the “Breadbasket Colonies” due to the wheat and oats grown. Colonists were
also involved in manufacturing.
•New York: The Dutch created the colony of New Netherlands. They bought
land from Native Americans. In 1664, England took over the New Netherlands
and renamed it New York. The Dutch governor, Peter Stuyvesant surrendered
the colony to the English without a fight.
•Pennsylvania: Created for Quakers.
•New Jersey: Split from New York.
•Delaware: Split from Pennsylvania.
•Ft. Orange
became Albany.
•Agriculture
and
manufacturing
were
important
industries in
the Middle
Colonies.
•Peter Minuit bought Manhattan
Island from the Native Americans.
The Dutch created the colony of
New Netherlands. In 1664, the
English took it over and renamed it
New York.

7. •SOUTHERN COLONIES: Agriculture became the most important activity
in the Southern Colonies. Cash crops such as cotton and tobacco drove the
southern economy. Slaves were used to do the work on the Southern
plantations and farms.
•Maryland: Created for Roman Catholics.
•Virginia, N. & S. Carolina: Tobacco.
•Georgia: Debtors from English prisons.
•Slaves were brought from Africa across the Atlantic Ocean (Middle Passage).
They were sold at slave auctions. Primarily, they worked in the fields. Some
worked as domestic servants.
•Slaves were sold at slave auctions and
were treated very badly. The Slave Codes
were used to control the slaves.
Punishments included whippings, beatings,
and mutilations.
AFRICA
•Slaves used
mainly to
grow cotton.
•Slave ships were overcrowded and
filled with foul smells and diseases.

8. Fishing
Trading
Ship building
Agriculture: Corn, wheat
Agriculture: Cash Crops
Lumber
Factories
Urban: Cities
Small villages
Plantations
Wooded and rocky
Open and fertile soil,
less rocky.
Many waterways, fertile soil.
People elect
representatives who
run colony for
monarch.
People elect
representatives who
run colony for
monarch.
Colonies run by Royal
Governors selected by
monarch.

9. •Mercantilism: England used its
colonies to create wealth for the
mother country. The colonies
provided raw materials for
England’s factories. The colonies
were also a market for the finished
goods of England to be sold.
Mercantilism: A system of trade
using colonies to create wealth for
the mother country.
•Navigation Acts: Passed by
England in the 1660’s to control
colonial trade.
1. Colonies had to sell certain
products to England or other
colonies. Sugar, tobacco, and
indigo.
2. All goods going to the
colonies from other countries had to
go through England first.
3. All goods coming to or
leaving the colonies had to be
transported on ships built in the
colonies or in England.

10. •Mercantilism: England used its
colonies to create wealth for the
mother country. The colonies
provided raw materials for
England’s factories. The colonies
were also a market for the finished
goods of England to be sold.
Mercantilism: A system of trade
using colonies to create wealth for
the mother country.
•Navigation Acts: Passed by
England in the 1660’s to control
colonial trade.
1. Colonies had to sell certain
products to England or other
colonies. Sugar, tobacco, and
indigo.
2. All goods going to the
colonies from other countries had to
go through England first.
3. All goods coming to or
leaving the colonies had to be
transported on ships built in the
colonies or in England.