Colonial America

The Thirteen Colonies

The United States was formed from thirteen British colonies in 1776.
Many of these colonies had been around for well over 100 years
including the first colony of Virginia which was founded in 1607. See
below for a map of the thirteen original colonies. 

What is a colony? 

A colony is a region of land that is under the political control of

another country.

Why were the colonies established? 

Queen Elizabeth wanted to establish colonies in the Americas in order

to grow the British Empire and to counter the Spanish. The English
hoped to find wealth, create new jobs, and establish trade ports along
the coast of the Americas. 
Colonial Regions.
The colonies are often divided up into three regions including the New
England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies. 

New England Colonies Middle Colonies Southern Colonies

 Connecticut  Delaware  Georgia

 Massachusetts Bay  New Jersey  Maryland
 New Hampshire  New York  North Carolina
 Rhode Island  Pennsylvania  South Carolina
 Virginia