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. Usually the controlling country is physically far away from the colony, as was the case with England and the American colonies. Colonies are typically founded and settled by people from the home country, however, there may also be settlers from other countries. This was especially true of the American colonies which had settlers from all over Europe. The Thirteen Colonies Here is a list of the thirteen colonies with the year they were founded in () and a note on how they were founded.
Queen Elizabeth wanted to establish colonies in the Americas in order to grow the British Empireand to counter the Spanish. The English hoped to find wealth, create new jobs, and establish trade ports along the coast of the Americas. Each colony, however, has its own unique history on how it was founded. Many of the colonies were founded by religious leaders or groups looking for religious freedom. These colonies included Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Other colonies were founded purely in hopes of creating new trade opportunities and profits for investors. 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
Interesting Facts about the Thirteen Colonies
The Age of Exploration (also called the Age of Discovery) began in the 1400s and continued through the 1600s. It was a period of time when the European nations began exploring the world. They discovered new routes to India, much of the Far East, and the Americas. The Age of Exploration took place at the same time as the Renaissance.
Why explore? Outfitting an expedition could be expensive and risky. Many ships never returned. So why did the Europeans want to explore? The simple answer is money. Although, some individual explorers wanted to gain fame or experience adventure, the main purpose of an expedition was to make money. How did expeditions make money? Expeditions made money primarily by discovering new trade routes for their nations. When theOttoman Empire captured Constantinople in 1453, many existing trade routes to India and China were shut down. These trade routes were very valuable as they brought in expensive products such as spices and silk. New expeditions tried to discover oceangoing routes to India and the Far East. Some expeditions became rich by discovering gold and silver, such as the expeditions of the Spanish to the Americas. They also found new land where colonies could be established and crops such as sugar, cotton, and tobacco could be grown. Henry the Navigator The Age of Exploration began in the nation of Portugal under the leadership of Henry the Navigator. Henry sent out ships to map and explore the west coast of Africa. They went further south than any previous European expedition and mapped much of western Africa for the Portuguese. In 1488, Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias was the first European to sail around the southern tip of Africa and into the Indian Ocean. Christopher Columbus Soon the Spanish wanted to find a trade route to the Far East. Explorer Christopher Columbusthought that he could sail west, across the Atlantic Ocean, to China. He could not get the Portuguese to fund his expedition, so he went to the Spanish. Spanish monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand agreed to pay for Columbus' trip. In 1492 Columbus discovered the New World of the Americas. Portugal and Spain Portugal and Spain became the early leaders in the Age of Exploration. Through the Treaty of Tordesillas the two countries agreed to divide up the New World. Spain got most of the Americas while Portugal got Brazil, India, and Asia. Spain sent over conquistadors to explore the Americas and to conquer the peoples there. Hernan Cortes conquered the Aztec Empire in Mexico and Francisco Pizarro conquered the Inca Empire in Peru. They made Spain rich with the gold and silver they found in the Americas. Portugal sent out Vasco da Gama who found a trade route around the southern tip of Africa and to India. They also explored much of the Far East and were the first Europeans to establish a trading colony in China at Macau. Colonies Other countries such as Great Britain and the Netherlands established colonies in the New World. Eventually Great Britain would surpass all of the European nations in terms of the size of their world wide empire including the thirteen colonies in the Americas that later became the United States. Geography The Age of Exploration was one of the most important times in the history of world geography. A significant portion of the unknown world was mapped during this short period. Also, many advances were made in navigation and mapping which helped future explorers and travelers. Interesting Facts about the Age of Exploration
Age of Exploration Quiz Staar Exam - Texas 8th Grade Social StudiesThe Gilded Age - Shoots and LaddersThe Progressive Era - Jeopardyabolitionism
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