The 13 Colonies

The Carolinas

The Carolinas (both North and South) were founded in 1653 by the Virginians because of economy purposes.  People wanted to spread out more because they wanted more land.  Land back then meant money, so the more land you had, the richer you were assumed to be .  Many people moved even further south because the land was getting a bit crowded and the land was so good for farming, that even more people arrived for money.  Mostly farmers migrated, although new people in search of a new life might have done the same.  Mostly Protestants came to the Carolinas, and these people all wanted more land, and in the long run, more money.

Virginia

Virginia was founded in 1607 by the London Company.  Most of the people who moved here were Christian and they moved to Virginia because it had Jamestown, the first successful settlement in the New World.  Soon after the settlement started to grow and prosper, people started off for Virginia because it was already growing and didn't need any extra work.  People also moved here because they had heard about the new government: the Virginia House of Burgesses.  This new representative form of government showed and inspired others to believe that having a system where citizens have most of the rights might be a bit better.  Soon, many people of all types came in to Virginia to start a new life there. 

Maryland

Founded in 1634 by Lord Baltimore, Maryland was a colony meant as a safe haven for Catholics.  Feudalism was the main system of government practiced here, and many of the target residents were Catholics.  One rule that Maryland had though, was that the residency requirements required one to NOT be Jewish.  This influenced many people not to move here if they were Jewish, but others were kindly welcomed, especially Catholics, because after all, it was a Catholic colony.

Georgia

Georgia was founded in 1732 by James Oglethorpe because he wanted to found a colony where debtors could have a chance to start over.  Its started off as a method of sending people who were deeply in debt to jail, but as room ran out, they sent them to Georgia where people seized the opportunity to give a chance to those who needed it.  Because people in debt have no specific religion, many people had various religions.  Many people found that moving to Georgia would really help those in tight spots, so generally people in debt moved, although it was not only people in debt who could move, but others, too. 
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