University of IbnKhaldoun - Tiaret

Department of English
Level: Second Year
Lecture: 2
Academic: 2019-2020

The British Thirteen Colonies of North America

After they arrival to America in the 17th century, European settlers began to think about the form of
society in which they were going to live in, and to decide about the type of government that would rule
them. They first began to look for areas that would be suitable for living and secured from danger and that
have easy access to the sea. In spite of their origins, settlers established their colonies according to certain
criteria. Some colonies were founded on the basis of religious convictions like the Puritans and Pilgrims;1
while other colonists established their colonies according to their nationalities like the Dutch, the French
and the English, for instance. In addition to those differences, colonies can be classified according to the
authorities that ruled them, they were either owned by private owners, companies or ruled by a monarch.
Moreover geographical locations of the colonies can also be used to classify colonies as the New England,
Middle, or Southern Colonies.

I- The Administrative division of Colonies in North America

Colonies were divided according to the administrators that ruled them into three main categories:
Royal, Corporate and Proprietary colonies, and each category had its own specificities. Some colonies had
witnessed an alteration of their status as a result of the prevailing political or economic circumstances of
that time, as some colonies had changed from Charter or Proprietary colonies into Royal ones. The three
categories of colonies are defined as follows:

A- Royal Colony

A Royal colony is a colony that is directly governed by the king, for instance, The Jamestown Colony that
was first established as a Charter Colony in 1606 and transformed later into a Royal Colony in 1607.

B- Charter Colony (Corporate Colony)

It is a colony that is governed by a stock-exchange company whose aim was to make profits from the land
and resources of the colony; a classic case of this is the colony of Massachusetts, which was administered
by the Massachusetts Bay Company, and whose founders received a charted from Charles I, in 1929, in
order to establish a settlement in New England and exploit the area that was under its authority.

C- Proprietary Colony

It is a colony that is owned by an individual and who had been granted a charter from the monarch to rule a
colony that is under his rule and exploit its resources.

II- Colonial Division of the English Colonies in North America

The thirteen American colonies are usually divided into three main groups: The New England
Colonies – New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The Middle Colonies – New

1
Pilgrims: a religious group that is more radical than the Puritans and that separated from the Church of England as it
considered it to be corrupt.
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. The Southern Colonies – Maryland, Virginia, North
Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

III- The Foundation of British Colonies

The foundation of the thirteenth colonies was a long process, and one of the prominent reasons that
contributed to the rise of early British colonies in North America was the commercial motive. This was
achieved through the mercantilist policy that Great Britain had adopted in the 17th century, in order to
protect its economy against her European rivals; and on the other hand, to make profits by exploiting the
resources of its colonies in North America. In order to achieve its goal, Great Britain gave a patent (an
exclusive authorization) to private and European entrepreneurs to found the thirteen colonies which are as
follows:

Roanoke (the Lost Colony), 1585

In 1497 Henry VII, gave an order to John Cabot, an Italian explorer, to find a new route to the Orient.
Cabot set sail for America and first navigated along New Foodland, North America, and a year later he
moved along the North American coasts, and this resulted in England laying her claim over all territories
located in North America,2 but there was no interest on the part of the English in building any settlement
there at that time. It was during Elizabeth I’s reign that the British witnessed a revival of interest in North
America. In 1585, Queen Elizabeth I gave a patent to Sir Walter Raleigh to explore and colonize North
America. Raleigh made two attempts to establish two settlements on Roanoke Island located off the shore
of Carolina. In their first settlement, settlers were unable to live on the island because they were badly
prepared and lacked the necessary skills to live in a harsh environment; consequently, the settlers returned
home to England. In the second attempt, Raleigh sent about 100 settlers to settle on the Roanoke Island,
and because the English were busy with defending themselves against the Spanish Armada, they could not
look after their settlement in Roanoke, nor supply it. It was until the end of the war with Spain in 1591 that
the English returned to North America to find that Roanoke’s settlement was deserted, without having any
idea about what had happened to that ‘lost colony’ and its dwellers.

Map 2.2: Roanoke Settlement and the Early Thirteen Colonies

1- Source: Rebecca Love Fishkin, We the people: the English Colonies in North America, Minneapolis, Compass Point Book,
2009.

2
Robert V. Remini, A short History of the United States, U.S.A., HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 2008, p.9.
1. The Colony of Virginia, 1607

Because the British monarchs regarded colonization as a risky business, they did not want to invest
money on such uncertain projects, but they chartered private entrepreneurs and companies to take the risk
of raising funds in order to finance expeditions to the New World. In 1606, the Virginia Company of
London received a charter from King James I in order to explore and colonize territories located between
North Carolina and the Hudson River. Shareholders in the Virginia London Company bought shares form
the so called company with a view of receiving profits from their invested money in the North America.
The Shareholders shared a collective responsibility towards benefits as well as losses that the Virginia
Company would incur in case of failure.

In December 1606, the Virginia Company sent about 104 men to North America. The settlers reached
the American shores in April 1707; they settled by the James River, and they called their settlement
‘Jamestown’, in honor to King James I who granted them the charter.3 The group of colonists, who lived in
Jamestown, was composed of people from nobility, gentry and ordinary people who had signed an
indenture contract with the company, whereby they were bound to work freely for a given period of time,
usually four years, as means to pay back to the company the transport fees of their voyage to North
America.

The aims sought by the Virginia Company to send expeditions to North America were various. While
he king James I wanted to expand his territories; counter the Spanish attacks; convert the Indians to
Christianity and find a new route to eastern Asia; the founders of the company, however, wanted to make
profits by finding gold and other precious minerals. On the other hand, some religious groups like the
Puritans were seeking religious freedom. Actually, people living in the Jamestown settlement did not
manage to find riches and were unable develop farming in Virginia to provide their food; as a result, they
suffered from hunger and many settlers died either from diseases or from attacks waged by the Indians
against them, only sixty people had survived. The Jamestown colony was absorbed later by the Virginia
Colony whose name was given by the founder of the Company in honor to the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth,
and also to refer to the territories granted by King James I to the Virginia Company, and that are located
today between Maryland and North Carolina. It was in 1608 that a new ship transporting supplies and
settlers from England reached the shores of the Virginia Colony and the colony grew stronger as never
before.

In order to organize the Virginia Colony, settlers, established in 1619 a lawmaking body called the
‘House of Burgesses’.4 However, stability within the colony was harmed by the misconduct of its governor
who resorted to violence in dealing with Indians; as result, they waged attacks on the colony in 1622. The
way in which the House of Burgesses ran the colony had exasperated King James I, who, in 1624,5 declared
the Virginia Colony a Royal one and by put it directly under his direct rule by appointing a governor to
administer the colony on his behalf, and he ordered that an Anglican Church be established in the colony
and forced settlers to pay taxes in order to support its clergy.

2. Massachusetts, 1620

In 1620, a group of Puritans called the ‘Pilgrims’ decided under the leadership of a Puritan named
William Bradford to make arrangement with the Plymouth Virginia Company to finance their colony, and
in exchange they would work freely for the company for a period of seven years.6 In September 1620,
about 102 men set sail from England to Virginia, 35 of the passengers were Pilgrims. When they arrived to

3
Historians states that both the Jamestown settlement and the Virginia Colony were founded in 1706 (Oxford reference.com;
th
accessed on March 10 , 2020 at 23:03 p.m.).
4
The House of Burgesses: it was a kind of council in the colony of Virginia composed of elected people from the colony. This
council was responsible for ruling the colony, making laws and solving problem related to settlers.
5
Making America: A History of the United States,p.54.
6
Craig A. Doherty, Katherine M. Doherty, Thirteen Colonies: Massachusetts,USA, Library of Congress, 2005, p.6.
the New World, the passengers signed a kind of contract aboard the Mayflower ship that they called the
‘Mayflower Compact’. This pact aimed at setting rules to govern their colony. Life in the North America
was harsh for the Pilgrims who could not support cold during their first winter. One half of them had
survived until spring thanks to the support of the Indians.
Relationships between the first Pilgrims and the Natives (Indians) were good that, in 1621, they invited the
Indians for a thanksgiving feast that was organized with a view to thanking God for good harvest and
rewarding the Indians for their help. That became the first thanksgiving feast in American history.

Although the Pilgrims had managed to organize a permanent settlement in Plymouth, but they were
less organized than the Puritans followed their paths. Under the reign of Charles I (1625-1649), some
English merchants from London wanted to further their commerce in America with the Indians, sent
Puritan immigrants to Massachusetts. There, they found a chartered company that received a royal charter
in 1629, that company was called the Massachusetts Bay Company. The so called company attracted many
Puritan settlers from England who came to America in order to practice their religion freely. The Puritans
elected John Winthrop, a Puritan from lesser gentry to be the governor of their colony. This latter had
organized the voyages of thousands of Puritans who emigrated from England to the Massachusetts Bay
Colony.

3. New Hampshire, 1623

In 1623, Captain John Masson sent two groups of English settlers and established a fishing village
near a river called ‘Piscataquis’. This area became known later as ‘New Hampshire’, and remained an
English colony during the colonial period. In 1638, they founded another area called ‘Exeter’. One year
later, the settlers signed a compact called ‘Exeter Compact’ which was set to rule this new settlement.
New Hampshire was established as a Proprietary colony, but became later a Royal colony in 1679. In 1719,
settlers from Ireland and Scotland decided to form a Scottish settlement in New Hampshire after the
establishment of the New Constitution in 1787.

4. Maryland, 1634

In 1625, James I gave George Calvert the title Lord Baltimore. Because Calvert believed in
Catholicism and England adopted Anglicanism as the official religion of the kingdom, this had put Calvert
in conflict with King James I. In order to avoid any collision with Catholics, James I accepted the request
of George Calvert (Lord Baltimore) to give him a proprietary charter that was granted to him in 1632,7 with
the object to establishing a colony in North America. Lord Baltimore called this colony ‘Maryland’ in
honor to Marry the Catholic queen. When Baltimore died his son Cecil became Second Baltimore. In
1634, Cecil and his brother Leonard founded the colony of Maryland.

5. Connecticut, 1636

Dutch traders had built a permanent settlement as early as 1633. Later, English settlers arrived to the
area from Massachusetts. In 1636, another group led by Thomas Hooker arrived to an area called Hartford,
near the Dutch settlement after being ousted from Massachusetts. Thomas Hooker and his group declared
their freedom of religion. In 1639, a set of laws were enacted to govern the colony. In 1662, Connecticut
finally became a Royal colony and was given its charter under John Winthrop, after it had been a corporate
colony.

7
Meloly S. Mis, The Colony of Maryland: A Primary History, USA, New York, the Rosen Publishing Group Inc, 2007, p.7.
6. Rhode Island, 1636

In 1636, a settler known as Roger Williams left Massachusetts seeking for religious and political
freedom. He had spent a short period of time with the Native Indians before he finally bought a land from
the Narragansett Indians; and established the new colony known as Rhode Island where settlers practised
their religion freely. Other settlers fled Massachusetts and settled another area called Portsmouth annexed
later to Rhode Island, which was a Corporate Colony and that became later a Royal Colony after receiving
its charter in 1663. As a result, settlers enjoyed a complete religious freedom living there.

7. Delaware, 1638

In 1631, the first settlement was attempted in Delaware by Dutch traders led by David Pietersz de
Vries. By 1632, this group was killed in a military confrontation with the local Indians. In 1638, Peter
Minuet led a group of Swedish settlers to the Delaware River area under a grant from a Swedish company.
In 1655, the Dutch obtained control of the land from the Swedish. In 1674, the English forces defeated the
Dutch and took a complete control on Delaware which was awarded to William Penn in 1682. The latter
did not govern the colony for a long time, and soon Delaware elected its new assembly in 1704.

8. North Carolina, 1663

Virginian colonists started to settle an area in 1653. It was called later North Carolina. This
settlement aimed at providing a buffer for the southern frontier. It was recognized by the English Crown in
1691. North Carolina began as a proprietary colony and became Royal in 1729 under the reign of George
II.

9. South Carolina, 1663

In 1663, King Charles II explored an area known as South Carolina which was granted later a charter
from the British Crown. Another colony was also set by a group of 200 English colonists in 1670, and was
given the name of Charleston (Charles Town). Southern Carolina began as a Proprietary and became Royal
in 1719. It was the eighth state to ratify the constitution in Philadelphia Convention.

10. New Jersey, 1664

It was originally settled in 1623 by the Dutch as the ‘New Netherlands’. After their defeat, the English
settlers obtained control on all Dutch holdings in 1664. The Duke of York made a proprietary grant to Sir
Cartenet and Lord Berkeley of the area between the Hudson and the Delaware Rivers. This area was named
New Jersey. In 1702, it became a Royal colony after it had been proprietary.

11. New York,1664

In 1621, the Dutch Crown gave a charter to the West India Company in order to occupy lands in
North America, and in 1624 the Company created a colony called New Netherland. In 1625, the Dutch
built New Amsterdam. After the British victory in the war against the Dutch forces, New Amsterdam was renamed
New York in 1664, in Honor to the Duke of York. The struggle continued to take place between British and the
Dutch for the control of the New Netherlands (all the Dutch holdings). It was till 1674 that British reached full
control. New York began as a Proprietary colony and became Royal in 1685.

12. Pennsylvania, 1682

 Pennsylvania was first settled by the Dutch then the Swedish before it was captured by the English in
1664. In 1681, Charles II granted a charter for 450.000 acres to an Englishman names William Penn,8 a
member of a religious group called Quakers (The Society of Friends), as a way of paying the debt owed by
Charles II to his father Admiral William Penn. In 1682, William Penn led his group of Quakers to an area
in Pennsylvania, and they established their settlement there that they called Philadelphia. Philadelphia was
established as the capital city of Pennsylvania in 1787.

13. Georgia, 1732

Georgia was originally the southern portion of the Carolina grant. It was granted to an English
General (James Edward) by the King George II in 1732. The establishment of this colony aimed at
protecting the southern colonial partners against the Spanish and French attacks from the South. Georgia
started as a Proprietary Colony and became later a Royal one in 1752.

The founding of the thirteen British colonies in North America took a long time of struggle against
Indians’ attacks; rocky soil that preempted farming; swampy areas that were the sources of killing diseases;
as well as, long cold snowy seasons that had caused scarcity of food and that had resulted in the death of
many settlers during their early days of settlement. But thanks to the concerted efforts of all settlers,
regardless of their origins and religions, the thirteen colonies stayed strong and they gave birth to a modern
American society.

References

2- Love Fishkin Rebecca, We the people: English Colonies in America, Minneapolis, Compass Point
Book, 2009.
3- Berkin Carol, Cherny, Robert W. , Miller Christopher & Gormly, James L. Making America, A
History of the United States, Vol I, (17th ed), 2016.
4- Making America: A History of the United States.
5- Doherty Craig A., Doherty Katherine M., Thirteen Colonies: Massachusetts, USA, Library of
Congress, 2005.
6- Mis Meloly S., The Colony of Maryland: A Primary History, USA, New York, the Rosen Publishing
Group Inc, 2007.

8
Both the father and the son were Called William Penn.