From Colonies to Nation Part I Trade in the Colonies Many of the first English settlers who came to North America in the late 1500’s and early 1600’s hoped to find riches. These settlers did not find gold or silver, but they did claim land for England on the east coast of what is now the United States. English Colonies Colonial Government Settlers throughout the English colonies believed in self - government. In 1619, Virginia colonists formed the House of Burgesses. This group was the first representative government in the English colonies. In a representative government, voters elect who runs the government. In New England, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact in 1620. This agreement set up a government for their settlement, Plymouth. The Mayflower Compact was the first written plan for self - government in North America. Some colonies belonged to the king. He would select a person (usually a friend) called a proprietor who received a royal charter, a document, that said the colony had a right to exist. The proprietor shared the wealth gained in the colony with the king. Even in colonies that were owned by proprietors, voters usually had a voice in the government. Proprietors chose governors, but voters decided who made the laws. Edward Hyde, Lord Proprietor of the Colony of North Carolina The representative governments in the colonies were not fair to everyone. Only men who owned property could vote. Even so, colonists had more control of their governments than most people in Europe had over theirs. The Thirteen Colonies were divided into three regions: The New England Colonies, The Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies. Each region was different. The resources of the colony affected the way colonists lived. New Englanders were farmers, but the ocean also shaped the region’s economy. Fishing and shipbuilding brought many craftspeople and businesses to coastal towns and cities. New England included Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Most New England colonies had local town councils elected to make laws. New England Most of the Middle Colonies were ruled by proprietors. In 1664, James, Duke of York, became the proprietor of New York. The strong farming economy helped many cities grow. Farmers shipped extra food to be sold in New York and Philadelphia. The Middle Colonies Philadelphia in the 1700’s In the south, the good soil and warm climate were perfect for growing cash crops such as tobacco, rice, and indigo, a plant used to make blue dye for fabric. Most Southern farms were small. Wealthy Southern farmers, however, grew large amounts of cash crops on plantations. Workers on plantations raised crops. Most were African slaves. Although Virginia had the House of Burgesses, most Southern colonies had proprietors. The Southern Colonies Britain and its colonies became wealthy because of Triangular trade. Colonists shipped their resources to England, Africa, the West Indies and other places. Ships from Europe brought such goods as tea, spices, furniture and tools to sell in the colonies. Ships also carried enslaved people from Africa to the Americas. Enslaved Africans were taken from their homes and families to be sold in the colonies. They were treated as property and forced to work without pay. The trade route that brought them from Africa to the Caribbean and North America was a dangerous mid - Atlantic route known as the Middle Passage. Trade Triangular Trade Routes The Middle Passage Africa Trade grew between England and the colonies, but conflicts soon developed. The English government passed laws to control trade in the colonies. These included laws on how the colonies shipped goods, which countries they could trade with and what goods they could trade. Many colonists disliked these laws. The laws made them pay more for some goods. Colonists also wanted to decide what and how they traded. They thought England was using the laws to control the colonies. Over time, tension grew between England and the colonies.