13 Colonies of America by List

13 Colonies of America are present in three regions. The first one is New England regions, Middle Colonies and Southern Colonies. Each of these colonies had something unique and original with them and with border restrictions. The colonies economy was diverse and had unique and different characteristics of their region.

These colonies were based on the British Empire as they controlled it and it had all of the structure based on the British Empire. All the economy, methods of production, and exchange of goods between Europe, Africa, and other colonies of the USA. In these colonies, Raw materials such as timber, grain, tobacco, and indigo produced in the colonies were shipped to Europe.

List of 13 Colonies of America

Here are the listed 13 colonies of America which formed in between the 16th and 17th centuries.

Region	Colony	Year Founded
New England	Massachusetts	1620
New England	New Hampshire	1623
New England	Rhode Island	1636
New England	Connecticut	1636
Middle Colonies	New York	1624 (Dutch – New Netherland)
Middle Colonies	New Jersey	1664
Middle Colonies	Pennsylvania	1681
Middle Colonies	Delaware	1638 (Swedish)
Southern Colonies	Maryland	1634
Southern Colonies	Virginia	1607
Southern Colonies	North Carolina	1653
Southern Colonies	South Carolina	1670
Southern Colonies	Georgia	1732

1. Virginia Colony (1607)

• This colony was founded in the year 1660 by the London Company. It was founded quite early on so it is one of the earliest British settlements in North America. 
• It helped in the development of the 13 colonies of America. It managed to achieve it due to the cultivation of tobacco.
• The great land and the climate of Virginia made it a great area for the colony. 
• It had hardships faced by the conflicts with the native population by the people and some disease outbreaks but it didn’t affect the economic growth that the area saw.

2. New York Colony (1626)

• It was different as this colony was founded by the Dutch and not by the British. New York became a colony in 1664.
•  As it was located near the Hudson River, this area managed to develop quickly into a commercial and economic centre. 
• It had the port city of New York which still is regarded as the symbol of the United States of America. 
• It quickly grew as a trading hub with other colonies in Europe and other parts of the world.

3. New Hampshire Colony (1623)

• This colony is unique as it was established in 1623 by fishermen and traders. It was because they wanted to benefit from the opportunities that they were gaining in the area.
•  The colony had its economy with things such as fishing and other trading activities. 
• It had things such as timber and fish and all of these helped the economy to grow in the area. 
• Also, the area was closer to the other colonies so this made it easier to trade with the other areas and also to grow the culture.

4. Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630)

• It had a religious foundation as it was founded by the religious people.
• It was because they wanted to have the right to follow their religion and culture openly and with better opportunities. 
• The colony had many ports and had its economy growing quickly within a few years.
• The whole colony was fully diverse with different trading and manufacturing options with the food industry growing as a big part of it. 

5. Maryland Colony (1633)

• It was another area that was developed as a part of the hub for religious people to have their religious freedom. 
• It was established in 1633 and had a big economy within a few years. The colony had a tobacco industry as the main source of growth for the economy of the area. 
• This is because the climate of the area is great for the cultivation of crops such as tobacco. 
• It worked heavily with the support of the enslaved labour that it brought from Africa. It was one of the most powerful colonies of its time. 

6. Connecticut Colony (1636)

• This was another colony that had left a big impact on what it managed to achieve in just a short period.
• It also like the other colonies had great economic growth due to agricultural focus.
• The crops such as wheat, corn and even livestock. All of these were quite popular sources of economic growth back then. 
• This helped this colony to grow fast. Textile also was a big part of this colony.

7. Rhode Island Colony (1636)

• This was another colony that had religion backing development. The colony also had great economic growth. 
• It was because of the fact it was in the area of agricultural growth and quickly became the area of attracted many merchants and colonies. 
• It also had great focus on the fish industries which helped the growth of the whole colony. 
• The port of the area was quite popular among the other colonies.

8. Delaware Colony (1638)

• This colony benefited much due to the presence of the river valley which was around the colony.
• The colony had its development much slower compared to the other colonies as it was slow with economic activity. 
• Only after a few years of its establishment, did it become successful due to the rising fishing industry. 
• It also faced only two wars during the American War of Independence and it had a peaceful life.

9. North Carolina Colony (1663)

• The original settlers of the colony led by John White vanished and nothing has been found about them. 
• It later became a hub for the naval hub. In a few years, it was a big economy and had a large number of people settling. 
• In the beginning, it was managed by a private entity but later taken control by the British government. 
• It was one of the biggest and most powerful colonies of the time.

10. South Carolina Colony (1663)

• This was a single entity being called the Province of Carolina before becoming a separate colony in 1712. 
• It worked with heavy plantations as a source of economic growth. 
• It also liked that the other colonies faced development through the exploitation of enslaved labour. 
• It had a large population to sustain good growth.

11. New Jersey Colony (1664)

• First settled by the Dutch, this colony came under the control of the British later on. 
• After a few years, it was captured by the British and became New Jersey. 
• The colony was originally divided into two parts namely, East Jersey and West Jersey. 
• The colony quickly developed into a big area with a large and diverse population.

12. Pennsylvania Colony (1681)

• This colony had some of the most popular trade routes that managed to have a great amount of business with Europe.
• The area was largely controlled by the Swedes. It was filled by a large immigrant population. 
• There were many religious groups like the Amish that were quite popular and active in the area. 
• It was also the area where declarations of independence were drafted. 

13. Georgia Colony (1732)

• This was established at most late in 1732 but was a great economic powerhouse.
• This also had a great system of various crops growing up and setting the stage for the crops of rice and indigo in the region. 
• The climate had a great scenario for the business to grow in the area and see other businesses like cotton. 
• It was one of the most popular colonies in the area.

Conclusion

These 13 colonies can be regarded as the past of modern American civilization and how it came to the world. America is the superpower of the world today but it all became when these colonies were established and laid the foundation of modern America. American historians are well aware of their history and have worked on studying the history in detail and also to preserve it for others for the future and present.

Each of these colonies has managed to move into the modern world and now they are part of the states of modern American geography. They still have their culture and tradition which was developed due to years of colonization. Many sites which are dated back to colonization can still be seen and anyone can visit these sites to see the history with their own eyes.

13 Colonies of America – FAQs

Which of the 13 was the first colony?

Virginia was the first colony that came into existence in 1607. A group of colonists called the Virginia Company founded the first permanent English settlement in North America on May 14, 1607, naming it Jamestown for its location on the banks of the James River.

Were these colonies important? 

Yes, they were the method of achieving control over the land of America which was the civilization of native people. The colonists were of developed regions so they managed to quickly gain control of this area and made them as their own.

Were all of these colonies got established by the British? 

Not many of these colonies were established by different Europeans such as the Dutch, Swedish and of course, British. But quickly the British succeeded and managed to take control of much of the area as their own.

How much time did all these colonies take to develop fully? 

All of these colonies took their time to grow and develop into parts of modern day America. The colonists took different steps and set up different industries in these colonies to develop them.

Are historical sites of these places still available? 

Yes, many areas such as Jamestown are available for people to visit and look at the past of how America was a colony and how it managed to grow out of it and became what we know it as today in the modern era.