The original Thirteen Colonies were British colonies on the east coast of North America, stretching from New England to the northern border of the Floridas. It was those colonies that came together to form the United States. Learn them all in our map quiz.If you want to practice offline, download our printable 13 colonies maps in pdf format and our map scavenger hunt worksheet.

New York, Est. 1626. New York was originally a Dutch colony known as New Amsterdam. The English gained full control of the colony in 1664 and it was renamed New York after King Charles II's brother, the Duke of York. Like other Middle colonies, New York was a major food producing region. Colonists grew a tremendous amount of wheat, leading to New York being designated a "breadbasket" colony. New York became the eleventh state to ratify the Constitution on July 26, 1788.

Rhode Island, Est. 1636. Rhode Island was originally named by a Dutch explorer who called the region "Roodt Eylandt," meaning "red island." When the area came under English control, it was rennamed Rhode Island. This colony was founded by Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson, two colonists who left Massachusetts in search of religious freedom. They established Rhode Island as a haven for religious tolerance in New England. Colonists in Rhode Island relied heavily on fishing, whaling, and shipbuilding for their income. Because of the poor soil, agriculture was not a major industry here.  Rhode Island was the last colony to become a state, ratifying the Constitution on May 29, 1790.

Virginia, Est. 1607. Virginia was an English colony founded at Jamestown and named after Queen Elizabeth I, the "Virgin Queen." It was a Southern colony and, like other Southern colonies, was not dominated by any one religion.  Virginia's major industry was agriculture. Many colonists relied on slave labor to work their farms and plantations. Colonists traded crops for goods they could not produce on their farms, like shoes, tools, etc.  Virginia was the tenth colony to become a state. It ratified the Constitution on June 25, 1788.

North Carolina, Est. 1653. North Carolina was a Southern colony founded by Virginia colonists. The colony's name was chosen to honor Charles IX of France as well as Kings Charles I and Charles II of England. North Carolina's many farms and plantations relied heavily on slave labor. The colony produced numerous crops, like cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar, and indigo. North Carolina was the tweflth colony to become a state. It ratified the Constitution on November 21, 1789.

New Hampshire, Est. 1638. A New England colony, New Hampshire was named after Hampshire, England by one of its founders, John Mason. Like Massachusetts, New Hampshire was a Puritan colony with no tolerance for other religions. Colonists in New Hampshire relied on agriculture, manufacturing, and fishing as their primary sources of income. They grew crops like potatoes, squash, and pumpkins.  New Hampshire was the ninth colony to become a state. It ratified the Constitution on June 21, 1788. The Constitution needed at least nine states to ratify it, thus New Hampshire's signing made the document legal.

Massachusetts, Est. 1630. The name Massachusetts comes from the Algonquian word meaning, roughly, "large hill place." This New England colony was founded by English Puritans and they had no tolerance for other religions. Because of its coastal location, the economy of this colony focused around trade and shipbuilding. Colonists also made a living fishing and whaling. Massachusetts became the sixth state when it ratified the Constitution on February 6, 1788.

Connecticut, Est. 1636. Located in New England, Connecticut got its name from a local Native American word, "Quinnehtukqut," meaning "beside the long tidal river."Connecticut, like Massachusetts, was settled by Puritans. The major industry in this colony was agriculture. Colonists primarily grew wheat and corn and also relied on fishing. Connecticut was the fifth colony to become a state. It ratified the Constitution on January 9, 1788.

New Jersey, Est. 1664. New Jersey was a Middle colony named after the English island of Jersey. Like the other Middle colonies, New Jersey offered religious freedom for its citizens.  New Jersey had a strong manufacturing economy. The colony exported various items to England like tools, kettles, nails, etc. New Jersey was the third colony to become a state, ratifying the Constitution on December 18, 1787.

Pennsylvania, Est. 1682. A Middle colony, Pennsylvania got its name from combining the name of its founder, William Penn, with the Latin word sylvania, which means forest. Pennsylvania was heavily populated by Quakers, but also allowed religious freedom for its citizens. Like other Middle colonies, Pennsylvania was referred to as a "breadbasket" colony. Colonists in Pennsylvania grew a tremendous amount of wheat, among other crops.  Pennsylvania was the second colony to become a state, ratifying the Costitution on December 12, 1787.

Maryland, Est. 1633. Maryland was a Southern colony founded by English Catholics. However, its charter established religious tolerance as a founding law. It was named in honor of King Charles I's wife, Queen Henrietta Maria. The presence of the Chesapeake Bay as well as wide coastal plains allowed Maryland to develop both a strong shipbuilding and agricultural economy. Tobacco was a primary cash crop grown on plantations here. Maryland was the seventh colony to become a state. It ratified the Constitution on April 28, 1788.

Delaware, Est. 1638. Delaware was originally a Swedish colony located in what is known as the "Middle" colonies. The English took control of the colony in 1664 and Delaware shared a governor with Pennsylvania until the American Revolution. Delaware was named after the Delaware River which in turn was named after the first colonial governor of Virginia, Lord De La Warr.  The colony's main industries were agriculture, lumbering, and shipbuilding. There were a number of different denominations of the Christians present in Delaware as well as a small Jewish community. Delaware was the first colony to become a state, ratifying the Constitution on December 7, 1787.

Georgia, Est. 1732. Georgia was an English colony located in what is known as the "Southern" colonies. It was named after King George II of England. Georgia was not dominated by any specific religion.Georgia's main industry was agriculture. Georgians primarily grew indigo and rice. Surprisingly, Georgia was the only colony with a ban on slavery. However, that ban was lifted in 1751 and plantations across Georgia quickly came to rely on slave labor. Georgia was the fourth colony to become a state, ratifying the Constitution on January 2, 1788.

South Carolina, Est. 1663. South Carolina was an English colony founded in the Southern region. Like North Carolina, South Carolina was named in honor of Charles IX of France as well as Kings Charles I and Charles II of England. South Carolina was not dominated by a single religion. South Carolina was an agricultural colony which relied on slaves working massive plantations. The colony produced crops like cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar, and indigo. South Carolina was the eighth colony to become a state when it ratified the Constitution on May 23, 1788.

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