The Three Colonial Regions
The thirteen colonies were British colonies in North America founded between 1607 and
1732. The colonists who came to the New World were not alike, they came from a variety
of different social and religious groups who settled in different locations along the Atlantic
coast. They were divided up into the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies. Each
group came to the new continent for different reasons and created colonies with distinct
social, political, and economic structures.
Each colonial region had similar social structures. For example, the majority of the
colonies wanted to keep their families together and practice their own religion. They were
also all out to make money. However, the New England colonists were used to doing many
things themselves and not needing anyone else for help. In contrast, many of the Middles
colonists didnt bring their families with them from England and were the perfect workers
for the hard work required in ironworks and shipyards. Just as the New England Colonies,
the Southern Colonies brought their families and kept them together on the plantations.
Their main goal was to make money.
The thirteen colonies along with their goal to make money, wanted to form governments
and become independent. When settling New England, the Puritans created self-governing
communities of religious congregations. Every white man had a voice in there town
meetings. The town meeting discussed items such as taxes, built roads, and elected
officials that would manage town affairs. The Middle Colonies were slightly less
organized. Each family was more on their own due to William Penns policies of religious
