Review: Founding the 13 Colonies

Bell Ringer
5-7 minutes

By Teresa Smith

​You will read a short worded paragraph and answer the following question that requires you to identify the main idea of that paragraph.

Open Ended

The Thirteen Colonies were founded for many reasons. People wanted money, land, and freedom. Some came for political choice and others for religious beliefs. Documents like the English Bill of Rights helped colonists understand self-government. In the colonies, social structures grew with roles for indentured servants and enslaved people. These ideas shaped life in early America.

Question:
"What is the main idea of the paragraph?"

​ Review: Founding of the 13 Colonies

​

Standard: 8.1- Examine major aspects of the development of the United States from exploration to 1754.

Objective 8.1.3-Identify the economic, political, and religious reasons for founding the Thirteen Colonies.

Objective: 8.1.4-Describe how the English Bill of Rights, Mayflower Compact, and Virginia House of Burgesses led to the
English Colonial idea of self-government.

Objective: 8.1.6- Describe the social structures that formed in the various colonies including the role of indentured servitude and slavery.

I Can Statement: “I can  describe the reasons for founding the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies.

​ Reason for the 13 Colonies

The 13 colonies were founded to pursue wealth through new trade and resources, seek religious freedom from persecution in England, and establish a new empire and trade ports. Each colony served a purpose within a mercantilist economic system and historical doctrine where nations aim to accumulate wealth through a favorable balance of trade. Over time, colonists sought greater self-governance and freedom from British taxation without representation, when people are forced to pay taxes to a government without having any say or voting power in that government's decision or laws.  which led to the eventual conflict and formation of the United States.

Multiple Choice

What type of system is mercantilist?

• tax system

• political system

• economic system

• religious system

Multiple Choice

people are forced to pay taxes by a government in which they have no elected representatives to voice their opinions or concerns is known as

• "Laws"

• "Taxation without Representation"

• "Mayflower Compact"

• "Economics

<Economics: The study of how people use resources to meet their needs.
<Political: Related to the government or the way a community is organized.
<Religious Freedom: the right to practice any religion or none at all without government interference.
<Colonization: The act of establishing a settlement in a new area.
<English bill of rights: A document that limited the power of the king and established certain rights for citizens.
<Mayflower Compact: An agreement made by Pilgrims in 1620 to govern themselves.
<Virginia House of Burgesses: The first elected assembly in the American colonies.
<Indentured Servitude: A system where people worked for a certain number of years in exchange for passage to America.
<Slavery: The practice of owning people as property and forcing them to work without pay.
<Social Class: A group of people who share similar economic status, education, or occupation.

​Vocabulary

Match

Please match the following

• the study of how people use resources to meet their needs.

• the first elected assembly in the American colonies.

• the practice of owning people as property and forcing them to work without pay.

• related to the way a community is organized.

• an agreement made by pilgrims in 1620 to govern themselves.

Economics

Virginia House of Burgesses

Slavery

Political

Mayflower Compact

• Economics

• Virginia House of Burgesses

• Slavery

• Political

• Mayflower Compact

Multiple Choice

Which one of the colonies is shaded red on the map?

• New Hampshire

• New York

• New England

• Maryland

Reason why people migrated to the "New World"

Political
European Monarchs wanted to develop colonies in the New World as a new source of wealth. they granted individuals and companies the rights to establish colonies.

​ Economic
Gold-Spain's success had convinced Europeans that gold and silver were in abundance in North America, many came in search of these precious metals.

Land-Land was not available to the average farmer in Europe, but land was in abundance in North America.

​ Social
Europe was not always a pradise for the average European they faced poverty, political turmoil, famine and disease. Thousands of people migrated between 1629-1640 to escape these conditions.

​ Religious
Some groups came to North America to escape religious persecution. Pilgrims, Puritans, Quakers, and Catholics all fled Europe to establish communities where they could worship freely.

Multiple Choice

What are the reasons why people migrated to America

• Political, Economic, Social, Religious reasons

• Gold, Land Wealth, Religion reasons

• Rights, Abundance, Wealth, Political reasons

• Establish colonies, Search for precious metal reasons

When European settlers arrived in North America, they did not create a single, unified society. Instead, the colonies developed into diverse communities based on geography, religion, culture, and economy. the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Mayflower Compact were important for establishing self-government, while the search for religious freedom and better economics drove the colonization of the Thirteen Colonies, where indentured servitude and slavery created district social classes. Three main regions—the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies—each had unique characteristics.

New England Colonies (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire) were settled mainly by English Puritans who wanted religious freedom. Their economy depended on fishing, shipbuilding, and small farms. Because of rocky soil and harsh winters, large-scale farming was difficult. Communities were close-knit and focused on church life and education.

Middle Colonies (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware) were known as the “breadbasket” colonies because they produced large amounts of grain. These colonies were the most diverse in terms of people and religions. Dutch, Swedish, German, Irish, and English settlers all lived there. Pennsylvania, founded by Quakers, welcomed different faiths and became a model for religious tolerance.

Southern Colonies (Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia) had fertile soil and warm weather, making them ideal for plantations. They grew cash crops like tobacco, rice, and indigo. Because plantations required large amounts of labor, slavery became central to the Southern economy. This created a strict social structure, with wealthy landowners at the top and enslaved Africans at the bottom.

Multiple Choice

why were the Virginia House of Burgesses and the Mayflower Compact important?

• because both established laws

• because both established slaves

• because both established self-government

• because both established religion

Multiple Choice

What were the Middle Colonies known as

• "fertile soil" colonies

• "farmland" colonies

• "religious" colonies

• "breadbasket" colonies

Multiple Choice

after Europeans arrived to America, How many colonies were developed?

• 10

• 11

• 13

• 5

Now let’s complete our 13 colonies map

​Directions:
#1 Color and label ALL colonies

Use the 3 colors provided

1. Green = southern colonies

2. Orange =middle colonies

3. Red = New England colonies