Classifying the Colonies
By Michael Nehme
Jamestown
1. Jamestown was the first American colony to be permanent.
2. Jamestown had awful living conditions. It was located in the Chesapeake Bay region of Virginia.
3. Jamestown was funded by the Virginia Company of London. That company was a joint stock company (a company with many investors)
4. The youngest sons of English families suffered from primogeniture. These men were the settlers of Jamestown.
5. In 1608, an aggressive measure of discipline was brought to Jamestown by John Smith. His leadership and rules saved the colony from their problems.
6. John Rolfe expanded the colony economically by making the first successful cultivation of tobacco as an export crop.
7. Lord de la Warr saved the colony when John Smith’s system broke down and the colony started suffering again.
8. The House of Burgesses was the first form of representative government and was created by Jamestown.
9. Settlers came in truly believing that there was gold everywhere. Gold was not as common as they believed it was.
10. 1619 was the first arrival of black workers from Africa. A Dutch slave trader exchanged his African workers for food. These Africans became indentured servants.Massachusetts Bay
1. Massachusetts Bay was the largest colony that was established in North America.
2. John Winthrop was one of the leaders in the founding of Massachusetts Bay. He was a Puritan and became the governor of the colony.
3. Established by the Massachusetts Bay company. They were a joint stock company that established a lot more colonies in the region.
4. Puritan men who owned land were the only ones allowed to vote in the colony.
5. Many villages in the region were destroyed in 1675 by Metacom and the tribes he led.
6. Religion and education were valued high in this colony, the towns had churches and schools in the center.
7. The quality of life was better than Jamestown’s. There was not as much disease and there was a better climate.
8. The idea of revolution became bigger in 1629; Charles I dismissed parliament's support of the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s desire to be apart from the church of England.
9. Anne Hutchinson, who was banished from the colony because she didn't support predestination, was influential about the growth of the colony.
10. Roger Williams was also an important person in this colony. He went against the colonists there for fighting Native Americans and going against the Church of England. He was banished too.
Georgia
1. The last colony of the 13, founded in 1733.
2. Founded by James Oglethorpe, who was a member of Parliament and a prison reformer.
3. The colonists here were determined to keep slavery out, but this failed in 1750 when there was slavery found.
4. It’s main reason for being founded was to be a buffer between the French Louisiana and Spanish Florida. It received money from England for defenses.
5. Due to James Oglethorpe's dislike for debtor’s prisons, Georgia became a haven for debtors that were thrown in prison. They were granted a second chance in America.
6. James Oglethorpe gave the colonists freedom of religion to all the religions except for Catholicism.
7. In Savannah during 1735, John Wesley came as a missionary to preach and convert the colonists, debtors, and Native Americans.
8. After Oglethorpe left back to England, his ban on alcohol and slavery was quickly removed.
9. After the change of government, Georgia’s population rapidly increased to about 50,000 by the time of the revolution.
10. Georgia was named after King George II, who granted the charter for 21 years allowing the colony to be established.
Pennsylvania
1. Founded by William Penn who made it a haven for quakers
2. The charter was given to Penn in 1681, and the colony was established.
3. The colony was made up of pacifists, the Quakers. They disapproved of slavery, military action, and violence with the Native Americans.
4. William spent time to encourage new settlers and advertise Pennsylvania. He handed out pamphlets in different languages.
5. Pennsylvania had similar climate and soil to its neighboring colonies like New Jersey, New York, and Delaware.
6. The colony had a representative government that was elected by the landowners in the colony. It was established by Penn’s Frame of Government.
7. Quakers also granted the freedom of religion, but England soon forced them to restrict Jews and Catholics from voting.
8. Benjamin Franklin entered Philidelphia in 1720, he was one of the most brilliant minds in the world at that time.
9. Grain was one of the biggest exports for the quakers. This supplied their economy.
10. Many of the settlers were “religious outcasts” that were kicked out of other colonies and accepted by the quakers.Maryland
2. Toleration Act of 1649 gave toleration to all Christians in the colony.
3. Tobacco was the main crop and the main source of income for the colony.
4. Maryland was a haven for Roman Catholics that were persecuted in England.
5. 1639 the House of Assembly was created as a government. It was made up of representatives chose by the colonists.
6. It was a proprietary colony. It was given to George Calvert to Govern.
7. George Calvert (Lord Baltimore) was a Catholic nobleman who was granted a charter by King Charles I. He worked to achieve great wealth for the colony.
8. Leonard Calvert, in 1633, was given the governor position of Maryland from his father to keep the family in power.
9. Shipbuilding, iron work, corn, wheat, rice, and indigo were some of the the major industries for Maryland.
10. One of the largest boosts for the economy was the export of agricultural products.