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British Colonies

Great Britain was one of the most important colonizers of North America. Towards the end of the 16th century, British explorers claimed most of North America’s East Coast and called it Virginia, in honor of Queen Elizabeth I.

In 1607, colonists founded the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown, the current Virginia. In 1620, a group of religious separatists who later became known as the Pilgrims—created the Plymouth settlement in what is now the state of Massachusetts. Other English settlements in the state included Salem (1628) and the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1629).

From the 1630s to the 1660s, English colonies developed in present-day Connecticut, Maryland, and Rhode Island. From 1681 to 1732, British colonies developed in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.


Source: British Colonies
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