1.1.4 The 13 Colonies Part 1

The 13 Colonies: Part 1
Learners can:

• compare and contrast how geography, climate, and economy influenced the colonies differently

Vocabulary: port city-a place located along a coast where ships load or unload goods

Curriculum Kit Materials: Social Studies Activity Book (page 1)

By Sierra Scaggs

Did you know that there is a mountain in South America that is known as the Rainbow Mountain?

This natural mountain is made up of 14 different minerals, which gives it its rainbow color.
This mountain was only discovered recently, in 2013. Before the discovery, it was impossible to see its beauty because it was covered in snow.

Rainbow Mountain is different than other mountains that you might have seen. It is a special place to visit.
Visiting Rainbow Mountain might be a new, exciting, and special adventure for you. You might not know what to expect when you get there.

Before you travel there, you might ask:

• What is the weather like?

• Is it difficult to hike Rainbow Mountain?

• Are there any towns nearby?

What if you wanted to live there? What would you need to know about this new place in order to survive?
The settlers who traveled to North America had a lot to learn about the new land that they settled on.

In this lesson, you will learn about the first settlements in New England and the Middle Colonies and how geography, climate, and economy influenced the colonies differently.

The Three Colonial Regions

Throughout the 1600s, people across Europe came to North America to set up colonies.
The colonies were divided into three regions:

• the New England Colonies;

• the Middle Colonies; and

• the Southern Colonies.

Each colonial region shared similar characteristics, including the geography and climate of their environment.

Characteristics are special traits that are typical of a person, group, or place.
Geography is the study of Earth and its features.
Climate is what weather is usually like over a long period of time in a specific area.

The New England Colonies

The New England Colonies consisted of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Connecticut.
In 1620, settlers from England arrived in Cape Cod, Massachusetts on a ship called the Mayflower.

They were a group of pilgrims, who wanted the ability to practice their own religion and to break away from the Church of England. Pilgrims are people who travel on long journeys to find religious freedom.
Before they got off the ship, they signed an agreement called the Mayflower Compact. It was a document that established new rules to help them live together and survive.

This important document remained the law of the colonies in New England for 71 years.
Life was hard for the first settlers of the New England Colonies. About half of the population that originally arrived died during the first winter.

It took the first settlers five years to learn how to survive in their environment.
EDIO VIDEO PAGE 5

Colonial Settlements in New England

You learned that the first established colony in the New England Colonies was the colony of Plymouth.
Not long after the colony of Plymouth was established, more colonies formed.

Many of the colonies were formed by ministers looking to provide a place for people who wanted to have religious freedom.
The environment of the New England Colonies made it a difficult place to live, but the pilgrims who settled there were determined to survive. With the help of a Native American tribe called the Wampanoag, the pilgrims learned how to live in their environment.
Despite harsh winters and rocky soil that made it difficult to grow food, the New England colonists learned how to live in their environment.
EDIO PAGE 6

The Middle Colonies

The Middle Colonies consisted of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware.
Settlers from England were not the only people to settle in the Middle Colonies. The colonies were also founded by settlers from the Netherlands and Sweden. People from the Netherlands were called the Dutch.
During the first settlements, the Dutch, Swedish, and English took turns claiming land in the Middle Colonies. In 1664, England captured most of the land and named it New York. Over time, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware were founded as their own colonies. EDIO PAGE 7

Multiple Choice

Who were the first settlers in the Middle Colonies?

• Dutch

• English

• French

• Swedish

Environment and Economy of the Middle Colonies

The geography of the Middle Colonies is similar to the geography of the New England Colonies.

Both colonial regions shared the Appalachian Mountains.
The Appalachian Mountains are located along the eastern part of the United States. They run from Canada all the way to present-day Alabama.

The mountains ran through most of the New England and Middle Colonies.

The colonies also shared the coastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
EDIO PAGE 8

Open Ended

Compare and contrast the geography, climate, and economy between the New England and Middle Colonies.

• What was one similarity of the geography, climate, or economy?

• What was one difference in geography, climate, or economy?

​Today, you learned about similarities and differences in the geography, climate, and economy of the New England and the Middle Colonies.

The environment and economy of both colonial regions influenced how the colonists survived.

Great job today!