Lesson 6: What Were the British Colonies? What Government Did They Have?
Lesson Purpose
In this lesson, you will learn that our country began as a part of another country. It was ruled by a king.
Lesson Objectives
When you have completed this lesson, you should be able to
- explain how our country began more than four hundred years ago,
- explain how the thirteen British colonies were ruled, and
- explain why the colonies wanted to separate from Great Britain and rule themselves.
Lesson Terms
British colonies
At one time not long before our country began, Great Britain was the most powerful nation in the world. The British wanted to get grain, lumber for building homes and ships, tobacco, spices, and many other things from different parts of the world. So, they sent people from Great Britain to establish commu- nities in other parts of the world that would trade with them. These communities were called British colonies. They often also included people from other nations. And many had captured or bought people from Africa. They treated them as slaves and forced them to work for them. Starting in 1607, the British began to put colonies in what is now the United States. The first thirteen states in our country are on the east coast. They were British colonies ruled by Great Britain. During this time, there were also colonies all over the world that belonged to other nations. For example, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands all had colonies in different places of the world.
colony
England
France, French
governor
Great Britain
king or queen of England
Native Americans
North America
thirteen colonies
