US History

Colonization and Settlement (1585-1763)

This collection uses primary sources to explore the motivations and realities behind life in the American colonies.

Teaching Guide: Exploring the Motivations and Realities of Life in the Colonies

A collection of accounts of cases prosecuting Quakers for refusing to pay religious fees, London, 1736.

A critical summary of Quaker beliefs and practices, from a letter to a member of the House of Commons, London, 1736.

A pamphlet defending the position of the Quakers on religious fees, London, 1737.

A map showing the British colonies in North America in the eighteenth century.

A printed statement to Sir Robert Walpole, First Commissioner of the Treasury, about the role of colonies in the British Empire, London, 1731.

A 1755 essay about the relationship between England and her North American colonies, London, 1755.

A 1734 drawing showing the plan for Georgia Colony.

A map of the county of Savannah, 1735.

A map of New Ebenezer, Georgia, 1747.

A sketch of New Ebenezer, Georgia, 1736.

A map of Yamacraw Territory, 1745.

A letter from Henry Ellis, Royal Governor of Georgia, in Savannah, to the headmen and warriors of the Creek Nation, May 26, 1760.

Resources

1. [Colonial maps](http://dp.la/search?page_size=100&provider%5B%5D=David+Rumsey&q=colonies&subject%5B%5D=American+Revolution&utf8=%E2%9C%93), David Rumsey, Digital Public Library of America. 

2. [Colonial and Early America](http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/themes/colonial-america/exhibitions.html), the Library of Congress. 

3. [Families in colonial North Carolina](http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-colonial/4107), LEARN NC, UNC School of Education. 

4. [Experience the Life](http://www.history.org/almanack/life/), The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. 

5. [Mayflower and Mayflower Compact](https://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compact), Plimoth Plantation. 


Overview

The English colonists who settled in North America were motivated to leave Europe for a variety of reasons. From the earliest seventeenth-century English settlements, some colonists, including many in the Chesapeake region, hoped to find great fortune in the New World, while many in New England sought religious toleration. The British government, meanwhile, hoped to generate profits and power by establishing and maintaining a global empire. Many of these themes are documented in the inexpensive pamphlets that were produced to help win support for various positions. This set of documents allows students to explore three key themes relating to colonization in the eighteenth century: the motivations of the Quakers, those of the British government, and the realities of life in the Georgia colony.

English

The Colonies: Motivations and Realities

colonies-motivations-realities_07_42d42aef0a5793071bb7928ba1559ea3.jpg

Courtesy of Hargrett Library via Digital Library of Georgia.

Jones, George, “His majestys colony of Georgia in America,” Digital Public Library of America, http://dp.la/item/42d42aef0a5793071bb7928ba1559ea3.

A 1734 drawing showing the plan for Georgia Colony.

Cite this item

Tips for Students

Item 7 of 12 in the Primary Source Set The Colonies: Motivations and Realities