Despite the title of this article, it discusses the settlement of New Netherland by the Dutch and explains the reasons for the settlement, and why settlers were not attracted to the area.

Article on the Middle Colonies provides facts on religion, history, economy, and government of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and New Jersey.

Article with photographs on the expansion of the new England Colonies to include the Middle and Southern Colonies. Links to primary source documents.

In contrast to New England and the middle colonies were the predominantly rural southern settlements: Virginia, Maryland, North and South Carolina, and Georgia.

Information about each of the thirteen colonies with links to additional good quality resources.

A chapter from a history text that looks at the plantation economy of the Southern colonies, which relied on slave labor. It discusses the role of women as second class citizens, the cash crops that were grown, indentured servitude, the...

Visit this virtual museum exhibit to learn about New York City's divided opinions about slavery before and during the Civil War. There are three themes covered: Pro-Southern City, Fighting Slavery, and Civil War. Students use a...

This website contains a general description of the time and reason for the first large slave auction held in the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. Click on Teacher's Guide for teaching resources.

A map of the Middle Colonies of New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, with portions of New York, Maryland and Delaware, showing the early European settlements in the area from 1609 to 1702. The map shows the boundary between West New...

A good look at the philosophy of the Quakers who colonized William Penn's religious refuge in the colony of Pennsylvania. Read about Penn's liberal views about government, religious freedom, and relations with Native Americans.

By reading this section of a chapter on "Colonial Societies," students will be able to explain the reasons for the rise of slavery in the American colonies, describe changes in Indian life, including warfare and hunting, contrast...

Section from a textbook style book explains the British and American strategies of 1776 through 1778 and identifies the key battles of the early years of the Revolution.

The Southern Colonies developed their own personality, just as the New England and Middle colonies did. Read about the economy of the Southern Colonies, their labor force, and why the second-born of wealthy English familes came to this...

[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the thirteen original colonies. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.

Read about the three distinct systems of slavery that developed in the colonies based primarily on the crops that were grown in each region. See how the system affected the way the culture of slaves grew out of the region.

Animated media with accompanying text guides students through the story of Captain John Smith and his Jamestown adventures.

Africans first arrived in Jamestown as indentured servants, but soon the appeal of having laborers that were not free after seven years caught on. See how the use of slaves grew in the Southern colonies, the economies of which were based...

Read a very brief description of slavery in the New England and Middle colonies.

The opening of Alison's "Free School" was an event of importance both for the school's impact in its time and for its eventual development into a much larger and more comprehensive institution. The school was founded in 1736 by Francis...

An interesting essay on the forced migration of Africans to America by way of the Middle Passage. Read where the slaves were off-loaded, how the population of slaves increased, and the inhumanities inflicted on the slaves both on the...

Philadelphia was the colony of Pennsylvania forsome time. Read about what William Penn's vision was for the city and why the city became so important.

A brief discussion of the colonial period in the United States. Includes information on New England, the middle colonies, and the southern colonies. Also, find out about the early government, and the French and Indian War.

Provides six historical illustrations of the colony of New York.

The early settlers to the New World began to map strategy for their own system of government. This site details that strategy and what kinds of events spawned the idea of representative government.