GENERAL CURRICULUM TEST OBJECTIVE : 0006 Understand major developments in the history of the United States from precolonial times to the present.
The first permanent settlement in what is now the U.S. was in 1565 at St. Augustine, Florida by Spanish settlers. Another settlement by the Spanish occurred in 1609 in the area that is now Santa Fe, New Mexico. The King of Spain ordered these settlements and believed since he was an absolute monarch that God had given him the right to take these lands, settle and rule them.
French settlements were established along two major gateways into the heart of North America - the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, and parts of Canada as well as the Mississippi River area. This area was known as New France. The French, primarily traders of furs, maintained contact and relationships for trading with local native tribes.
The earliest English settlers in Virginia were members of the official Church of England and were called Anglicans. Later, Puritans - Protestants who wanted reform, or "to purify" the Church of England, came to Massachusetts. These groups included the Pilgrims, Congregationalists, and Baptists, groups that grew out of the Puritan movement.
In 1607, the first permanent English settlement in America was established at Jamestown (in what is now Virginia) and many of the settlers did not survive. In 1619, a more successful settlement by the Pilgrims (a group seeking religious freedom) was established in what is now Massachusetts. Their governing guideline was The Mayflower Compact, a document signed by the settlers binding them to follow the rules establshed by majority vote.
Also in 1619 in Virginia, sixty women were sent to Virginia to establish familes, twenty Africans were sent as slaves and the Virginia colonists were granted the right by the British monarchy to have self governance. They began by electing representives to the House of Burgesses which was their legislative body.
By 1733, all of the 13 original British colonies (those established by England) were in existence: Virginia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
The 13 colonies can be grouped into three categories:
The New England Colonies (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire): Most of these colonists were Scotish and British with carefully planned towns governed locally by the adult males meeting to establsh the local laws. The primary industries were fishing, manufacturing, ship building and trade. Salem and Boston were two of the main seaports for trade in this region.
The Middle Colonies (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Deleware, and Maryland): Initially the Dutch settlements of New Netherlands and New Sweden, these middle colonies were considered the melting pot because many different nations of origin and background made up these colonies. Primarily farmers, these middle colonies had fewer threats from native tribes, and thus established farms that were greater distances from one another with larger farms producing surplus or extra products that could be sold or traded.
The Southern Colonies (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia): Predominantly farmers, the chief crops were tobacco, rice, and Indigo (use to make cloth dye). Most of the colonists had small farms, but wealthy colonists owned large plantations worked by large numbers of slaves who did most of the manual work. Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia were southern ports where cotton and slaves were traded.
By the 1750's in Europe, however, Spain was no longer the most powerful country settling North America. England and France were also establishing settlements, eventually resulting in a conflict called the French and Indian War (starting in 1754 and lasting 7 years, won by England against France). The victory enabled England to dominate settling the waterways such as the St. Lawrence River. The Peace of Paris in 1763 (a treaty) ended the French and Indian War and made England the most powerful nation settling North America with controlling interests.
The war depleted many of the British resources and took their attention away from the colonies who during wartime were acting more independently. However, following the war the British resumed their tighter control of the colonies and attempted through a series of laws including those levying taxes on the colonies to recoup the money spent on the war.
Resources:http://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/who-were-pilgrims
http://www.learner.org/interactives/historymap/colonists.html
http://mrnussbaum.com/13-colonies/
http://www.history.com/topics/thirteen-colonies
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