Colonial America: Life Before Independence

Grade 5 · Social Studies · Study Guide

Step back in time to explore what life was like in the thirteen American colonies before the Revolution.

Colonial America refers to the period from around 1607 to 1776 when European settlers — mostly from England — established communities along the eastern coast of North America. The first permanent English settlement was Jamestown, Virginia, founded in 1607. Over the next century, more colonies were established, and by the mid-1700s there were thirteen British colonies stretching from New Hampshire in the north to Georgia in the south.

Historians typically divide the colonies into three regions: the New England Colonies (Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire), the Middle Colonies (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware), and the Southern Colonies (Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia). Each region had a very different economy, climate, and way of life. New England relied heavily on fishing, shipbuilding, and trade. The Middle Colonies were known as the "breadbasket" because they grew large amounts of wheat and other grains. The Southern Colonies depended on large plantations growing tobacco, rice, and later cotton — and tragically, on enslaved African people forced to work those fields.

Daily life in the colonies was hard. Most people were farmers. Children helped with chores from a young age and attended school irregularly. Colonial towns had blacksmiths, millers, coopers (barrel makers), and taverns where news spread. Religion was central to community life, especially in New England, where Puritan values shaped laws and education. The colonies also developed their own representative assemblies — like Virginia's House of Burgesses — which gave colonists practice in self-government and planted the seeds of democracy.

Key terms

Colony

A settlement ruled by a distant country; the 13 American colonies were controlled by Britain.

New England Colonies

The northernmost group of colonies: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire.

Middle Colonies

The central colonies — New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware — known for diverse crops and people.

Southern Colonies

The southern colonies including Virginia, Maryland, and Georgia, known for large plantations.

Plantation

A large farm in the South that grew cash crops like tobacco or rice, using enslaved labor.

House of Burgesses

Virginia's elected assembly, the first representative legislative body in colonial America (est. 1619).

Jamestown

The first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in Virginia in 1607.

Practice questions

1. Which was the first permanent English settlement in North America?

   1. Plymouth
   2. Jamestown
   3. Roanoke
   4. Boston
   Show answer

   Answer: Jamestown

2. The Middle Colonies were sometimes called the "__________ of the colonies" because of all the grain they grew.

   Show answer

   Answer: breadbasket

3. The Southern Colonies were known mainly for fishing and shipbuilding.

   Show answer

   Answer: False

4. Which was the first representative assembly in colonial America?

   1. Continental Congress
   2. Mayflower Compact
   3. House of Burgesses
   4. Stamp Act Congress
   Show answer

   Answer: House of Burgesses

5. Religion played an important role in daily life in the New England Colonies.

   Show answer

   Answer: True

Fun facts

• The Pilgrims who came on the Mayflower in 1620 wrote the Mayflower Compact before landing — one of the first written agreements for self-government in America.
• Colonial children played many of the same games kids enjoy today, including marbles, tag, and hide-and-seek — though they also spent long hours doing farm chores.
• By 1750, Philadelphia was the largest city in colonial America with about 25,000 people — making it one of the biggest cities in the entire British Empire.

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