What were the Thirteen Colonies?
The thirteen colonies were British settlements in North America that became the first thirteen states of the United States. They’re organized into three geographic regions on the East Coast: the New England Colonies (Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island), the Middle Colonies (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware), and the Southern Colonies (Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, and South Carolina).
Why did England Colonize North America?
The late 15th to the 17th century was a time of expansion and empire in Europe. Spain was “discovering” continents, colonizing the shit out of the Americas, and making bank. England wanted a piece of the pie.
There were several reasons European powers established colonies in the Americas, but historians usually sum it up as “gold, glory, and God.” As per Spain’s success, colonies produced wealth (gold). Nationalism (glory) was also a driving factor. In England’s case, establishing its own colonies also undermined Spain’s huge empire. And of course, we can’t forget religion. Spain spread Catholicism throughout its colonies (and eradicated indigenous cultures as a result), while English Puritans flocked to the New World, fleeing religious persecution.
How were English Colonies Founded?
Corporations and individuals initially founded most English colonies in North America. The English government granted charters authorizing colonists to venture overseas. Charters also gave colonists the right to settle land in territories claimed by England. Yes, that’s right, “claimed.” Never mind the fact that Native Americans already lived on these “claimed” lands. Anyway, the charters granted individuals and corporations the right to establish colonial governments, while still retaining full rights as Englishmen.
England issued three types of charters. There was the corporate charter issued to joint-stock companies. The investors in these corporations were intent on making money from their colonies. There were also proprietary charters, granted to individuals. Finally, there was a royal charter, meaning the British Crown owned and managed the colony. The king appointed the governor, and all the wealth the colony produced went to Merry England.
Rebellion
The OG colonies turned out to be quite a rebellious bunch. They declared their independence from Great Britain in 1776 and established a republic in which power rests with the people. The thirteen colonies became the first states in the United States of America.
The Thirteen Colonies
Let’s review a brief history of each of the thirteen colonies.
Southern Colonies
1. Virginia
The first permanent English settlement in North America was Jamestown in 1607. This wasn’t the first go-around, however. In 1585, the English tried to settle on Roanoke Island (in present-day North Carolina) but failed spectacularly.1 By 1590, all the colonists had mysteriously disappeared, and the settlement was abandoned.
Fast forward to the early 1600s, when the English made another attempt to settle North America. In 1606, King James I (1566–1625) granted a charter to the Virginia Company of London to settle land along the southern Atlantic coast. This land became the colony of Virginia.
In April 1607, three ships carrying 105 men landed in Virginia. Commander Christopher Newport (c. 1565–1617) claimed a small peninsula for King James I, naming it Jamestown. The settlers built a fort and a small town on the site, making it the first permanent settlement. Things went to shit almost immediately. The settlers weathered the storm, but not before resorting to cannibalism. Yeesh!
By 1624, King James I dissolved the Virginia Company and made Virginia the first royal colony under the English Crown.
2. Maryland
In 1632, George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore (1580–1632), applied for a proprietary charter from King Charles I (1600–1649) to settle land in the Chesapeake Bay. Since George died in 1632, the king granted the charter to his son, Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore (1605–1675).
The land in question was named Maryland, after Charles I’s wife, Queen Henrietta Maria (1609–1669). The Calverts envisioned Maryland as a haven for persecuted English Catholics. Nonetheless, English Protestants flocked there as well, resulting in religious diversity.
In 1692, the English Crown declared Maryland a royal colony. But it reverted to a proprietary colony under the Calverts in 1715, who had converted to Protestantism.
3. North Carolina
In 1585, English settlers established the first settlement on Roanoke Island in present-day North Carolina. Although technically, back then, the territory was called Virginia. Roanoke isn’t considered the first permanent settlement, however, because all of the colonists disappeared and were never heard from again. Whoopsie.
Jump to 1663, when King Charles II (1630–1685) granted a charter to 8 Lord Proprietors (wealthy nobles) to establish a colony called Carolina. The colony split into North Carolina and South Carolina in 1712. The British Crown made North Carolina a royal colony in 1729.
4. South Carolina
King Charles II granted 8 proprietors a charter to establish the colony of Carolina in 1663. It split into North and South in 1712. Unfortunately, the proprietors were doing a shitty job at governing and maintaining the colony. So, the British Crown stepped in and made South Carolina a royal colony in 1729.
5. Georgia
In 1732, James Oglethorpe (1696–1785) and a group of trustees received a charter to establish the colony of Georgia. Initially, the colony was a buffer against a possible Spanish invasion from Florida. Georgia became a royal colony in 1752.
New England Colonies
6. Massachusetts
In 1606, King James I granted the Plymouth Company a charter to establish a colony on the northern Atlantic coast. This area eventually became New England and was Puritan central.
Puritanism was a super strict version of Protestantism. Puritans felt the Church of England was extra AF because it was too similar to Catholicism. They wanted total separation, but since the king was both head of the church and state in England, that was a major no-no. Still, they tried to separate, calling themselves Separatists. The Church of England wasn’t having it, so it persecuted them.
The Separatists booked it to the Netherlands, where they enjoyed religious freedom. Still, they decided to forge their own path and settle in the New World. And these people, my friends, were the Pilgrims.
In 1620, 102 Pilgrims landed in Cape Cod Harbor, Massachusetts, aboard the Mayflower. They initially intended to land around Virginia, but ended up in P-town.2 William Bradford (1590–1657), the leader of this merry band of Pilgrims, became the governor of the Plymouth Colony.
So, we have the Plymouth Colony. But we also have the Massachusetts Bay Colony, founded by more Puritans in 1630 via a charter from King Charles I.3 Plymouth Colony became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691, which in turn became a royal colony.
7. Connecticut
In the early 1630s, colonists from Massachusetts began to settle in Connecticut because they felt the existing colony wasn’t pious enough. Excuse me, what? Apparently, Massachusetts wasn’t Puritan enough for the Puritans. So, they founded the towns of Wethersfield, Windsor, and Hartford.
In 1636, the Connecticut colony was officially established, and the New Haven colony in 1638. In 1662, the former received a royal charter. The two colonies united in 1665.
8. Rhode Island
Colonists from Massachusetts also settled in Rhode Island. This time, however, the colony became a refuge for religious and political dissidents. AKA, people who thought the Puritans were doing too much.
Roger Williams was one such refugee. He was a Puritan minister who essentially went rogue. He bought land from the Narragansett tribe and founded Providence in 1636 as a place of religious freedom. Then there was Anne Hutchinson, who challenged the Puritans and was subsequently labeled a heretic. She established Pocasset (Portsmouth) in 1638. By 1663, Rhode Island became a royal colony.
9. New Hampshire
As early as 1623, Massachusetts colonists settled in the land between the Merrimac and Kennebec Rivers. By 1629, New Hampshire was an official colony. From 1641 to 1679, it was part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It became a royal colony in 1679.
Middle Colonies
10. New York
Most of the middle colonies are a special case because they weren’t initially British settlements. The Netherlands also participated in empire-building and colonization in North America. In 1609, the Dutch East India Company financed Henry Hudson’s (c.1565–1611) voyage to find a direct water route—the Northwest Passage—to Asia. The English explorer instead found New York Harbor and the Hudson River.
As a result, Dutch merchants began trading in the area and settled in New Amsterdam (the tip of Manhattan) and Fort Orange (Albany). They founded the colony of New Netherland in 1624, which included New Jersey and Delaware.
The English, however, took control of the colony in 1664, renaming it New York. King Charles II prompted the name change since he gave the colony to his brother, James, Duke of York (later King James II (1633–1701)).
11. New Jersey
New Jersey was originally a part of the Dutch colony of New Netherland. When the English took control in 1664, New Jersey became a proprietary colony. James, the Duke of York, granted the land to Sir George Carteret and John, Lord Berkeley. It was divided into West Jersey and East Jersey. The two Jerseys united in 1702, and Queen Anne (1665–1714) made it a royal colony. Although separate from New York, one governor ruled both colonies until 1738.
12. Pennsylvania
In 1681, William Penn received a proprietary charter from King Charles II to establish the colony of Pennsylvania. Since Penn supported the Society of Friends, his colony became a haven for Quakers and was religiously tolerant.
13. Delaware
The Swedes originally settled Delaware as part of New Sweden in 1638. By the 1650s, the Dutch took over all Swedish settlements. As a result, Delaware became part of New Netherland. But in 1664, the English took over all Dutch territories, so it became an English colony. The Dutch were pissed, however, and took everything back in 1673. Don’t worry, the English took the territory back for good in 1674. Well…until the American Revolution, that is.
From 1674 to 1682, Delaware was managed as part of New York. In 1682, it became part of Pennsylvania. The union wasn’t a very happy one, so William Penn allowed Delaware to have its own assembly. Gee, thanks. Until the American Revolution, Delaware and Pennsylvania shared a governor. So…Delaware never received its own charter and was never really an independent colony under British rule. Huh.
If you want kick-ass reading lists of how the thirteen colonies rebelled against the motherland and started their own republic, see The Best Books about the American Revolutionary War and The Best Books about the Early American Republic.
Footnotes
- Roanoke is in present-day North Carolina, but back in the late 1500s, it was part of the territory called Virginia. ↩︎
- “And isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think?” – Alanis Morissette. ↩︎
- Some sources say 1628, others say 1629, still others say 1630. Pick a date, any date. ↩︎
Bibliography
Taylor, Alan. American Colonies: The Settling of North America, Vol. 1. New York: Viking, 2001.
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