13 Colonies Facts

13 Colonies Facts
The United States was originally made up of 13 original colonies, classified by their regions to include the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies. In 1609 a land grant was obtained by the London Company from England for 400 miles along the Atlantic coast but attempts to establish colonies failed. New England's Plymouth Colony was the first permanent settlement successfully established by the British, in 1620. Plymouth was later de-established and did not become one of the 13 original colonies. In the meantime the Swedish and Dutch had begun to establish colonies, ignoring the English land claims. Struggles ensued between the English, Swedish, and Dutch for control of the new colonies, which by 1700 were inhabited by approximately 250,000 European and African settlers. These original 13 colonies were all located on America's Atlantic coast.
Interesting 13 Colonies Facts:
The New England Colonies included Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
The Middle Colonies included Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
The Southern Colonies included Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
England didn't attempt to settle North America for almost 80 years after discovering it existed.
Henry Hudson, employed by the Dutch, ignored the land claims of England, discovered both the Hudson and Delaware rivers in 1609, and established colonies along them.
England's first attempt to establish a colony occurred in 1607 off the coast of Maine by the Plymouth Company, but it failed. Plymouth Colony was not established until 1620.
Plymouth Colony was established by Puritans, a group of English separatists. This colony did not become one of the original 13 colonies, and later was de-established.
The New England Colonies' landscape was difficult to farm because of its mountainous landscape and rocky soil, and was the coldest of the three regions. Natural resources in this region included fish, forests, and they imported agricultural products from the other colonies. Puritans dominated this region.
The Middle Colonies' landscape included a mix of the southern and northern features and had good farmland. Natural resources in this region included fur, coal, iron ore, and farming land. This region included a variety of religious beliefs such as Jewish, Lutheran, Catholic, and Quaker.
The Southern Colonies' landscape included forests, coastal plains, and hilly terrain. This region's focus was agriculture and farming to grow large plantations of cotton, tobacco, sugar cane, rice, and a purple dye called indigo. This region included a variety of religions such as Anglicans and Baptists. Because the winters in this region were not as harsh as in the north, disease spread and spread easier.
Between 1700 and 1775, the population of the colonies grew from approximately 250,000 to almost 2,500,000.
In the New England Colonies, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire became states in 1788, and Rhode Island became a state in 1790.
In the Middle Colonies, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey became states in 1787, and New York became a state in 1788.
In the Southern Colonies, Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia became states in 1788, and North Carolina became a state in 1789.


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