America's Original 13 Colonies
- Virginia: Founded with Jamestown in 1607, the first permanent English settlement, known for tobacco.
- Massachusetts: Initially settled by the Pilgrims at Plymouth in 1620 and later by the Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay area in 1630, focusing on religious freedom.
- New York: Settled by the Dutch in 1624, taken by the English in 1664, known for its diverse population and strategic location.
- Rhode Island: Founded by Roger Williams in 1636 as a haven for religious dissenters, emphasizing separation of church and state.
- Connecticut: Established in the 1630s by Thomas Hooker, known for its Fundamental Orders, one of the first written constitutions in Western tradition.
- Maryland: Established by Lord Baltimore in 1632 for Catholic refuge, noted for the Act of Toleration.
- New Jersey: Granted to Carteret and Berkeley in 1664, known for religious freedom and fertile farmland.
- New Hampshire: Originally part of Massachusetts, it became a separate colony in 1679, known for its logging and fishing industries.
- Pennsylvania: Founded by William Penn in 1681, a haven for Quakers emphasizing religious tolerance.
- Delaware: Initially Swedish and Dutch, became part of Pennsylvania in 1682, first to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
- North Carolina: Part of Carolana grant in 1663, split from South Carolina in 1712, noted for small farms and fishing.
- South Carolina: Also from Carolana grant, settled in 1670, famous for rice and indigo plantations.
- Georgia: Founded by Oglethorpe in 1733 as a debtor's refuge and buffer against Spanish Florida.
the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union
Adopted in 1781, this document served as the first constitution of the United States.
The Articles of Confederation established a unique union where each of the thirteen original states maintained their sovereignty, meaning that powers not specifically granted to the national government were explicitly reserved for the states themselves.
This created a framework of government that emphasized state independence, allowing states to govern themselves with minimal interference from a central authority. This created a unicameral legislature, known as Congress, where each state had one vote regardless of size or population.
This Congress had the authority to declare war, make peace, enter into treaties, coin money, manage foreign affairs, and resolve disputes between states, but it was barred from levying taxes, regulating trade between states, or enforcing compliance with its laws, relying instead on voluntary contributions from the states for revenue.
States were seen as primary entities
There was no executive branch to implement laws or a judicial branch to interpret them, making the enforcement of national decisions weak. New Amendments required unanimous consent from all states limiting adaptability.
However, the Articles did achieve some success through the Northwest Ordinance, which provided a structured method for admitting new states into the Union and setting guidelines for land distribution and governance.
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