Colonies of North America

The Thirteen Colonies and neighboring polities in 1748

In the 1730s, Parliamentarian James Oglethorpe proposed that the area south of the Carolinas be colonized with the "worthy poor" of England to provide an alternative to the overcrowded debtors' prisons.

New England colonies

Main article: New England colonies

• Province of New Hampshire, established in the 1620s, chartered as crown colony in 1679
• Province of Massachusetts Bay, established in the 1620s, a crown colony 1692
• Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, established 1636, chartered as crown colony in 1663
• Connecticut Colony, established 1636, chartered as crown colony in 1662

Middle colonies

Main article: Middle Colonies

• Province of New York, proprietary colony 1664–1685, crown colony from 1686
• Province of New Jersey, proprietary colony from 1664, crown colony from 1702
• Province of Pennsylvania, a proprietary colony established 1681
• Delaware Colony (before 1776, the Lower Counties on Delaware), a proprietary colony established 1664

Southern colonies

Main article: Southern Colonies

• Province of Maryland, a proprietary colony established 1632
• Colony and Dominion of Virginia, proprietary colony established 1607, a crown colony from 1624
• Province of Carolina, a proprietary colony established 1663
  • Divided into the Province of North Carolina and Province of South Carolina in 1712, each became a crown colony in 1729
• Province of Georgia, a crown colony established 1732