The 13 Colonies

Flashcard deck · A.P. U.S. History · History

Flashcards covering all 13 original American colonies, from Virginia and Massachusetts to Georgia, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and the remaining nine.

Terms in this deck

Rhode Island

Founded 1636 by Roger Williams. Reason: religious freedom and separation of church/state. Economy: trade, farming, fishing. Politics: royal charter 1663; broad religious tolerance.

North Carolina

Founded 1663 (Carolina charter), separated 1712. Reason: profit, settlement expansion. Economy: tobacco, lumber, naval stores. Politics: royal colony 1729; elected assembly.

Georgia

Founded 1733 by James Oglethorpe and Trustees. Reason: buffer against Spanish Florida; refuge for debtors. Economy: silk (failed), then rice and timber. Politics: trustee colony, royal 1752; last of the 13.

Maryland

Founded 1632 by Cecil Calvert (Lord Baltimore). Reason: Catholic refuge, profit. Economy: tobacco, agriculture. Politics: proprietary colony; Toleration Act 1649.

Connecticut

Founded 1636 by Thomas Hooker. Reason: religious/political freedom from Massachusetts. Economy: farming, fur trade, shipbuilding. Politics: Fundamental Orders 1639 (early constitution).

Delaware

Founded 1638 (Swedish), English control 1664, separate assembly 1704. Reason: trade and settlement. Economy: farming (grain), trade. Politics: proprietary under Penn; own assembly from 1704.

New Hampshire

Founded 1623 by John Mason and Council for New England. Reason: fishing and trade. Economy: lumber, fishing, trade. Politics: royal colony 1679; elected assembly.

Massachusetts

Founded 1620 (Plymouth) and 1630 (Bay Colony) by Pilgrims and Puritans. Reason: religious freedom. Economy: fishing, trade, shipbuilding. Politics: Mayflower Compact, General Court.

Virginia

Founded 1607 by Virginia Company of London. Reason: profit and trade. Economy: tobacco. Politics: House of Burgesses; royal colony by 1624.

New York

Founded 1626 (Dutch as New Amsterdam), English colony 1664. Reason: trade and settlement. Economy: fur trade, shipping, commerce. Politics: proprietary, then royal colony; diverse population.

South Carolina

Founded 1663 (Carolina charter), separated 1712. Reason: profit, plantation agriculture. Economy: rice, indigo, enslaved labor. Politics: royal colony 1729; planter elite dominated assembly.

New Jersey

Founded 1664 by English (divided East and West, reunited 1702). Reason: settlement and trade. Economy: farming, trade. Politics: royal colony 1702; elected assembly.

Pennsylvania

Founded 1681 by William Penn. Reason: Quaker religious refuge, profit. Economy: grain farming, trade, diverse crafts. Politics: proprietary colony; Frame of Government guaranteed rights.

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