The Thirteen Colonies Take Shape

Social Studies > McGraw Hill > United States History > CH2T4

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The Thirteen Colonies Take Shape

In 1663 the new king of England, Charles II, wanted to start another colony in North America. Several European countries, including England, all claimed the land located south of the colony of Virginia. Charles hoped that by establishing a colony in this area, he would keep France and Spain out of the region. The colony that King Charles founded was called Carolina. Colonists began to settle this area because of its quality farmland. In 1729 the colony was separated into North Carolina and South Carolina.

In 1664 the Dutch colony of New Netherland was taken over by English forces. The King of England gave the colony to his brother James, the Duke of York, who kept part of the territory and renamed it New York. James gave the rest of the territory to two of his friends, John Berkeley and George Carteret, who divided it into two colonies, which later joined to become New Jersey in 1702. James and his friends who owned New Jersey all lived in England, and they found it difficult to control their land from such a great distance. These men chose governors to rule the colonies, and each governor selected a small group of leaders to advise him. The colonists were also given the opportunity to elect representatives to an assembly to work with the governor to enact laws.

During this time, William Penn, an Englishman who belonged to a religious group known as Quakers, hoped to start a colony in which people could peacefully coexist despite religious differences. Quakers believed that everyone should have the freedom to worship as he or she wished. However, they were often punished for such beliefs in England because everyone was expected to belong to the Church of England. In 1681, Penn was given a large piece of land in North America as repayment for money owed to his family by King Charles II. This new land was called Pennsylvania, and colonists there enjoyed freedom of worship as well as the opportunity to elect representatives to the colony’s assembly. Penn was later given more land by the Duke of York. This land was part of Pennsylvania for a time, but later it became a new colony, Delaware.

In 1732, King George II of England started another colony in an attempt to keep the French and Spanish out of the area to the south of South Carolina. This land was given to James Oglethorpe, who named the colony Georgia in honor of the king. As an English lawmaker, Oglethorpe established strict rules for this new colony. Colonists were not allowed to consume alcohol, own slaves, or make their own laws. Oglethorpe did, however, envision a colony for debtors and the poor, who would have the opportunity to begin new lives and avoid imprisonment for their debts in England. He brought a group of these people to the colony, free of charge, and gave them small pieces of land to farm.

By the mid-1700s, there were 13 English colonies along the Atlantic coast: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. These colonies, while distinct in many ways, were all based on some of the traditions of England’s government. The populations of the colonies grew steadily, as many were enticed by the economic and political conditions offered, as well as by the opportunity to own land.