English Colonies Grow in Number
- A new kind of colony was started under Charles I
- A wealthy noble could receive a charter with clearly defined boundaries
- The landowners, called proprietors, would have the right to govern their colonies as they wished
- The first such colony was Maryland
- King Charles I made George Calvert the proprietor of the Maryland colony in 1632
- Calvert dies before the charter became official
- His son, Cecilius Calvert, received the charter in his place and became proprietor
- A colony was established in what is now St. Marys City, on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, in 1634
- Although Lord Calvert was a Roman Catholic, he wanted all religious groups to worship as they wished
- Maryland passed the Toleration Act in 1649
- The law allowed everyone to enjoy religious freedom
- The act was important because it established an equality of rights for people of all religions
When was Rhode Island Settled?
- The strict policies of the Puritans soon brought about problems
- Roger Williams, a member of the clergy, spoke out against the policies
- He fled from the colony in order to avoid prison
- Williams made his way to what is now Rhode Island
- The Narragansett tribe helped him
- He called his settlement Providence, which meant "God's guidance"
- Soon, some of his followers came to the new settlement
- A true democratic colony was formed for the first time in 1636
- Roger Williams went to England and got a charter to protect the settlement
- He established complete freedom of religion in Rhode Island
When was Connecticut Settled?
- Another group of people was interested in migrating west to the Connecticut Valley
- The valley had rich farmland
- Thomas Hooker, a pastor, was the leader
- He started a settlement in Connecticut in 1636
- The people were excited about the new opportunity
- Like the settlers of Rhode Island, they had a great desire for religious freedom
What Other Colonies Were Settled?
- The region that extended south of Virginia to Florida was available for colonies
- It was possible that the Spanish in Florida would move northward
- This would be a serious problem for English settlements in that area
Carolina
- In 1663, several English nobles approached King Charles II and requested a charter to settle that region
- The king recognized the advantages of settling in this area
- Different crops could be grown in the warmer climate
- The charter was granted
- The region was called Carolina
- As settlers arrived, Charleston, named in honor of Charles II, became in important port
- Political quarrels developed in Carolina
- They were continually a source of trouble
- The proprietors finally gave up and sold their interest to the British government
- The government then divided Carolina into North Carolina and South Carolina in 1729
New York
- New York's original name was New Netherland
- It began in 1609 as a Dutch colony
- The colony grew very slowly because of its strict land-ownership policy
- The Dutch landlords, or patroons, kept a tight hold on available lands for settlers
- The English were uncomfortable with this Dutch settlement
- King Charles II declared that all lands of the region belonged to his brother, James, Duke of York
- An English fleet forced the Dutch governor, Peter Stuyvesant, to give up the Dutch claim
- The English took over the colony in 1664 and renamed it New York
New Hampshire
- The colony of New Hampshire was part of Massachusetts for 39 years
- New Hampshire was sold to the king of England in 1679
- The king made New Hampshire a royal colony
- It did not have an elected government and the king chose the governor
Pennsylvania
- William Penn was granted a charter for the land between New York and Maryland in 1681
- King Charles II was in debt to William Penn's father
- The king had borrowed a large amount of money
- The charter was given as payment for what the king owed
- William Penn was a Quaker who believed in the equality of all people
- He gave the colonists of Pennsylvania two important individual rights: freedom of religion and the right to elect public officials
- William Penn founded Pennsylvania in 1681 as he was known for establishing good relations with the Delaware Indians
- Philadelphia, a city in Pennsylvania, later came to be known as the City of Brotherly Love
Delaware
- In 1682, the Duke of York granted William Penn a region known today as Delaware
- This gave Pennsylvania access to the Atlantic Ocean
- Dutch, Swedes, and Finns settled in that area
- The region was controlled by Pennsylvania and divided into three separate areas
- This area was called the "Three Lower Counties"
- It became one colony-Delaware- in 1704
New Jersey
- Part of the land claimed by the Duke of York was region called New Jersey
- Two nobles, friends of the duke, were interested in the region
- East Jersey and West Jersey were established to please these friends
- For many years, problems related to the government of the regions continued
- Finally, in 1702, the two regions were made into one single colony
- It was called New Jersey
Georgia
- Conditions in England had gotten worse under the strict rule of King George II
- People were sent to overcrowded prisons for minor crimes
- James Oglethorpe, a wealthy businessman, asked to be granted a colony where the poor could settle when they left prison
- He was given the land between South Carolina and Florida
- The British were worried that the Spanish in Florida would move northward
- This could cause serious problems for the British
- The land given to Oglethorpe would prevent the Spanish from moving northward
- This area was named Georgia as the colonists arrived in what is now Savannah, Georgia, in 1733
Chart over the Other English Colonies That Were Formed
Maryland
1.
2.
3.
Rhode Island
1.
2.
3.
Connecticut
1.
2.
3.
Carolina
1.
2.
3.
New York
1.
2.
3.
New Hampshire
1.
2.
3.
Pennsylvania
1.
2.
3.
Delaware
1.
2.
3.
New Jersey
1.
2.
3.
Georgia
1.
2.
3.