Colonial Period (1607-1763)
The colonial period is the settlement of the 13 British colonies in North America. They were bordered by
the Atlantic Ocean in the east, and the Appalachian Mountains in the west. The first permanent colony
settled was Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. The final colony settled was Georgia, in 1732.
Reasons for Settlement
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Economic/profit – after the Starving Time and many
deaths, Jamestown, Virginia, became a successful
colony by growing the cash crop of tobacco.
Religious freedom – Pilgrims/Separatists, Puritans,
Quakers, and Catholics all settled colonies to escape
persecution.
Colonial Government
All colonies had colonial assemblies, or legislatures, that
consisted of elected colonists who made laws for the colony.
This is an example of representative government.
color
regions
Colonial Economies
(how the colonies made money)
Each region of the colonies based their
economy on their environment.
New England – farming, shipbuilding,
and subsistence farming
Middle Colonies – cash crops, mainly
grain
Southern Colonies – slavery and
plantation crops, such as tobacco and
rice
England also used its colonies to make
money, using a system called
mercantilism.
House of Burgesses - the first representative
government/colonial assembly in the colonies.
Mayflower Compact - an early example of self-government and
majority rule for the Pilgrims’ Plymouth Colony in 1620.
Draw and label
triangular trade
route
Triangular Trade – a system of trade that
brought African slaves to the colonies.
French and Indian War
1754-1763 – war between Great Britain (England) and France that gave the
British control of the North American continent. The war ended with the
Treaty of Paris.
Ben Franklin tried to unite the colonies to fight the French. His Albany Plan
of Union failed.