British Colonial America — a Guide to the 13 Original Colonies with Facts, Dates, Events, and People

1607—1775

British Colonies in North America and a guide to each of the 13 Original Colonies, including essential facts, dates, events, and people, plus links to content on American History Central.

Roger Williams, Banishment, Painting, Detail

Roger Williams founded Providence Plantation in 1636, which later became the Province of Rhode Island. Image Source: Wikipedia.

The British Colonies in the Three Regions of America

This guide to the British Colonies in North America provides essential facts about each colony, along with links to related content on American History Central.

The colonies are generally divided into three regions:

  1. The New England Colonies
  2. The Middle Colonies
  3. The Southern Colonies

Topics Covering Colonial America

13 Original Colonies

The 13 Original Colonies are the colonies that fought in the American Revolutionary War, declared independence from Britain, and established the United States of America. The 13 Colonies are listed below, in the order that they were founded.

Editor’s Note: We are currently working on new articles for each of the colonies. This guide will be updated as new articles are published.

Virginia

Essential Facts

  • Year Founded — 1607
  • Founded By — The London Company of Virginia
  • General Assembly Established — 1619

Primary Documents

Key People

History

Massachusetts

Essential Facts

  • Year Founded — 1629
  • Founded By — Massachusetts Bay Company
  • General Assembly Established — 1633

Primary Documents

Key People

History

Maryland

Essential Facts

  • Year Founded — 1634
  • Founded By — Lord Baltimore
  • General Assembly Established — 1634

Key People

History

Rhode Island

Essential Facts

  • Year Founded — 1636
  • Founded By — Roger Williams
  • General Assembly Established — 1647

Primary Documents

Key People

History

Connecticut

Essential Facts

  • Year Founded — 1636
  • Founded By — Thomas Hooker
  • General Assembly Established — 1637

Primary Documents

Key People

History

North Carolina

Essential Facts

  • Year Founded — 1663 (as Carolina)
  • Founded By — Lords Proprietors (8 allies of King Charles II)
  • General Assembly Established — 1729

South Carolina

Essential Facts

  • Year Founded — 1663 (as Carolina)
  • Founded By — Lords Proprietors
  • General Assembly Established — 1719

Primary Documents

Key People

History

New York

Essential Facts

  • Year Founded — 1664 (acquired from the Dutch)
  • Founded By — Duke of York
  • General Assembly Established — 1683–1685

Primary Documents

Key People

History

New Jersey

Essential Facts

  • Year Founded — 1664
  • Founded By — Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret
  • General Assembly Established — 1664

Key People

Primary Documents

Pennsylvania

Essential Facts

  • Year Founded — 1681
  • Founded By — William Penn
  • General Assembly Established — 1682

Primary Documents

Key People

History

New Hampshire

Essential Facts

  • Year Founded — 1679 (first English settlement established in 1623)
  • Founded By — John Mason
  • General Assembly Established — 1680

Key People

History

Delaware

Essential Facts

  • Year Founded — 1638
  • Founded By — Swedish settlers
  • General Assembly Established — 1704

Key People

Georgia

Essential Facts

  • Year Founded — 1732
  • Founded By — James Oglethorpe
  • General Assembly Established — 1733

Other English Colonies

The 13 Original Colonies were not the only British Colonies in North America. Some were in Canada, some were abandoned, and others merged with larger colonies. Some of the more well-known colonies are listed below.

British Colonies Established by the Proclamation of 1763

  • Province of Quebec
  • West Florida
  • East Florida

Smaller Colonies that Merged with Larger Colonies

Lost or Abandoned Colonies

Citation Information

The following information is provided for citations.

  • Article Title British Colonial America — a Guide to the 13 Original Colonies with Facts, Dates, Events, and People
  • Date 1607—1775
  • Author
  • Keywords 13 Original Colonies, Facts about Colonial America, Colonial America Facts, 13 Colonies in Order, 13 British Colonies, When Were the 13 Colonies Founded, Colonies in America , North American Colonies, British Colonial America, Famous People in Colonial America
  • Website Name American History Central
  • Access Date September 30, 2023
  • Publisher R.Squared Communications, LLC
  • Original Published Date
  • Date of Last Update September 20, 2023

British Colonial America — a Guide to the 13 Original Colonies with Facts, Dates, Events, and People is Part of the Following on AHC