Colonial America

Colonial America refers to the period from the founding of Jamestown
in 1607 through the growing tensions that eventually led to the
American Revolution. During this period the thirteen British colonies
developed distinct political institutions, religious traditions, and
economic systems.

This section explores the major themes of colonial history including
the founding of the colonies, colonial government, religion, and daily life.

Colonial History of New Hampshire (1623–1775): From Fishing Settlements to Revolution

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Colonial American timber industry

The colonial history of New Hampshire is often overshadowed by the larger and more famous colonies of Massachusetts, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Yet from its earliest settlements in the 1620s through the eve of the American Revolution, New Hampshire developed a distinctive identity shaped by rugged geography, contested political authority, and a fiercely independent population. Between … Read more

The 13 Colonies: The Foundations of Colonial America

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A montage leaders from the 13 colonies

The 13 Colonies were English settlements established along the Atlantic coast of North America during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Stretching from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south, these colonies formed the political, cultural, and economic foundation of what would eventually become the United States. Although each colony developed its own … Read more

Rhode Island in the Colonial Era (1636–1775): A Haven for Liberty

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Founding of Providence, Rhode Island

The colonial history of Rhode Island is unlike that of any other English colony in North America. Founded in 1636 by religious dissenter Roger Williams, the colony emerged from conflict, exile, and a bold experiment in freedom. While most colonies in New England enforced strict religious conformity, Rhode Island became a sanctuary for dissenters and … Read more

Maryland: A Colonial Experiment, 1634–1775

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Colonial Map of Maryland

Maryland’s colonial history is a story of aspiration, improvisation, conflict, and compromise. Founded in 1634 as a proprietary colony under the authority of the Calvert family, Maryland was envisioned as both a profitable venture and a social experiment—most famously, a place where Christians of different denominations might coexist. Over the course of nearly a century … Read more

Empire on the Hudson: The Colonial History of New York, 1608–1775

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Montage of New Amsterdam scenes

The colonial history of New York is a story of contested space and layered sovereignty. Long before it became a British royal colony—and later a keystone of American independence—the region functioned as a cultural and commercial crossroads shaped by Native diplomacy, Dutch capitalism, and English imperial ambition. From Henry Hudson’s exploration in 1609 to the … Read more

From Lost Colonies to Revolutionary Province: The Colonial History of North Carolina, 1585–1775

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map of colonial north carolina

The colonial history of North Carolina is a story of experiment, endurance, resistance, and gradual political awakening. Long overshadowed by Virginia to the north and South Carolina to the south, North Carolina developed along a different trajectory—more decentralized, more rural, and often more defiant of authority. Between the first English settlement attempts in the 1580s … Read more

The Colonial History of Pennsylvania, 1681–1775

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Settlers arriving in Pennsylvania on the ship Friend's Adventure

You may also be interested in our posts on the colonial history of Virginia and Massachusetts. When King Charles II granted a vast tract of land in North America to William Penn in 1681, few could have predicted that this new colony would become one of the most influential societies in British America. Pennsylvania emerged … Read more

The Colonial History of Massachusetts, 1620–1775

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Pilgrims watch as the Mayflower sails away over the horizon

This post is the second in a series of 13 that will provide a history of the American colonial period. Click here for a look at the colonial history of Virginia. The story of colonial Massachusetts is one of faith and pragmatism, aspiration and anxiety, communal discipline and individual resistance. From the landing of the … Read more

The History of the Virginia Colony, 1607–1775

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Jamestown Fort circa 1610

The story of the Virginia Colony is, in many ways, the story of early English America itself. Founded in uncertainty, shaped by hardship, and transformed by ambition, Virginia evolved over nearly two centuries from a precarious coastal settlement into the largest, wealthiest, and most politically influential of Britain’s mainland colonies. By 1775, Virginians stood at … Read more

An Introduction to the Thirteen American Colonies

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map of the original 13 American colonies

Before the United States existed as a nation, it existed as a collection of distinct colonies—each with its own founding purpose, social character, economy, and relationship to Britain. The Thirteen American Colonies, established along the Atlantic seaboard between the early seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, were never a single, unified project. They differed sharply in … Read more