Thirteen colonies offered a new way for oppressed peoples to look for better opportunities. Although they may have had many differences, the New England and Middle colonies share some commonalities.
The New England Colonies could be found in the north of the thirteen colonies. New England Colonies included Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maine. Arbella led 11 pilgrim ships to Massachusetts on June 12th, 1630. It was accompanied by 700 Puritans. The Puritan faith is associated with Massachusetts Bay Colony.
To escape the English church, the Puritans set sail for the new world. They were persuaded to completely reform the Church of England and purify it. These colonies exported fur, timber, as well as fish, which was their main export. Puritans emigrated from Plymouth to Connecticut River Valley, 1633. Some Puritans moved westward and Connecticut received its royal charter in 1662. The Council for New England granted New Hampshire, Maine, and New Hampshire new land in 1622. Timber, fur, fish, and other products were the most important exports for New England colonies. The New England colonists had a volatile relationship. Pequot Nation fell and was defeated between 1637-1638. New England colonists moved west and encroached on Wampanoag Tribe land. They even attempted to christianize them. They attacked New England farms in June 1675. King Philip’s War was started. Wampanoags fell due to heavy casualties, hunger and shortages. Colonists expanded westward and were able to control the remaining Wampanoags.
The Middle Colonies could be found in the middle thirteen colonies. The middle colonies included New York, New Jersey and Delaware. There was a lot of European residents living in these colonies. In 1609, the Dutch East India Company and captain Henry Hudson set sail into Delaware. New York Bay was then claimed by Holland (Netherlands) in 1609. New Amsterdam, Manhattan Island’s fur trading post, was established in 1610. Peter Minuit was the leader of the Dutch Colony at Manhattan in 1626. The Swedes founded a trading center in 1638.
William Penn, his father, was awarded a land grant on 1681 to honor him. Pennsylvania is named in honor of his father. William Penn, a Quaker, was the founder of pennsylvania. Pennsylvania was rich in land and had fertile soil. Quakers had good relations and freedom to walk in Indian villages. Germans and Scotch Irish mainly migrated from Scotland to Pennsylvania. Delaware was granted its own assembly in 1704. Many of these refugees were seeking new land, freedom and better opportunities. The various immigrants from other countries brought their religions to America. Wheat was the major export to the middle colonies.
The Southern Colonies included Georgia, Virginia and Maryland. The Virginia Company landed in Chesapeake Bay at the American east coast of 1607 on May 6th. Virgina was an haven for Anglicans. Cecilius Calvert founded Maryland in 1634. Maryland was initially founded for Protestants and Catholics who were being persecuted. Maryland’s 1649 Act of Toleration was issued. It provided religious tolerance for all Christians. However, it also imposed the death penalty on anyone who denied Jesus Christ’s divinity. Carolina consisted of two distinct settlements. People from Virginirying settled the Northern portion of Carolina in 1650. And, in 1669, South Carolina received its first colonists from Barbados. Carolina was made a royal colony in 1670.
King George II gave land in 1732 to James Oglethorpe. James Oglethorpe named the area after King George II. Georgia became a British colony in 1886. Plantations colonies made up the southern colonies. They exported mainly tobacco, rice, indigo, and other commodities. These planations were largely run by slaves and indentured servants. The relationship of the colonists with native Americans was both volatile as well as mutually beneficial.
Although they are nearly polar opposites, there are some commonalities between these colonies. One major religious group had an influence on all the colonies: the Puritans and Quakers. All colonists who arrived in America came from the same place: religious freedom. Although it wasn’t the sole reason that colonists came to America to seek religious freedom, it was one of many reasons they did so. Slavery or indentured servitude was a common feature of all colonies. The Middle Colonies, while semi-industrialized and semi-agricultral were part of the southern colonies’ agricultural sector. Although the New England and certain Southern Colonies had a volatile relationship to the natives, some Southern Colonies and the Middle Colonies enjoyed a mutually-beneficial relationship with them.
While there were many differences in the New England, Middle, or Southern colonies, there were many similarities. They differed in where, who, and what they wanted to settle. The most similarities were slavery/indentured servitors and religious freedom.
Although the New England, Middle, or Southern colonies may have had differences, they all shared some similarities.
