Fourth of July: 13 Things to Know About the Original Colonies

July 4, 2012— -- intro: Independence Day is not all barbecue and fireworks. So we pause here for a bit of history, with the 13 original colonies in mind (in the order of their founding).

quicklist: 1Category: 13 Original Coloniestitle: Virginiatext: Founded by the London Co., Virginia established the first permanent English settlement, in Jamestown, but also ended up with the first African slaves in North America.

quicklist: 2Category: 13 Original Coloniestitle: Massachusettstext: Founded by Puritans, Massachusetts counted the second permanent English settlement, in Plymouth, after the Mayflower-sailing Pilgrims landed from the Humber region of England.

quicklist: 3Category: 13 Original Coloniestitle: New Hampshiretext: Founded by John Wheelwright, New Hampshire is the most northern of the 13 original colonies and the first independent state to have a written constitution.

quicklist: 4Category: 13 Original Coloniestitle: Maryland text: Founded by Lord Baltimore, Maryland has had at least seven nicknames, including the "Old Line State," a possible reference to its being the "dividing line between the land grants given to William Penn and Lord Baltimore," according to a state website.

quicklist: 5Category: 13 Original Coloniestitle: Connecticut text: Founded by Thomas Hooker, Connecticut attracted the Puritan colonial leader's attention after he abandoned Massachusetts in search of land to establish a colony more suitable to his egalitarian spirit, according to History of the USA.

quicklist: 6Category: 13 Original Coloniestitle: Rhode Islandtext: Founded by Roger Williams, Rhode Island was the last of the 13 original colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution after fighting no major battles in the Revolutionary War.

quicklist: 7Category: 13 Original Coloniestitle: Delawaretext: Founded by Peter Minuit and the New Sweden Co., Delaware saw the first permanent European settlement in the Delaware Valley after the Swedes established their colony near present-day Wilmington. The result: "The cultural, social, and religious influence of these Swedish settlers has had a lasting effect upon the cultural life of the people in this area," according to a state website.

quicklist: 8Category: 13 Original Coloniestitle: North Carolina text: Founded by Virginians, North Carolina became the first state to vote in favor of independence.

quicklist: 9Category: 13 Original Coloniestitle: South Carolina text: Founded by eight nobles with a Royal Charter from Charles II, slavery-dependent South Carolina grew with people of African descent making up two-thirds of the colony's population by 1730, according to History.com.

quicklist: 10Category: 13 Original Coloniestitle: New Jersey text: Founded by Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, New Jersey was such a strategic location that it hosted about 90 Revolutionary War engagements, with Gen. George Washington moving his army across it four times, according to Infoplease.com.

quicklist: 11Category: 13 Original Coloniestitle: New Yorktext: Founded by the Duke of York, New York also was pivotal in the war, with one-third of the "skirmishes and engagements ... fought on New York soil. The Battle of Saratoga ... was the turning point of the Revolution," according to a state website.

quicklist: 12Category: 13 Original Coloniestitle: Pennsylvaniatext: Founded by William Penn, Pennsylvania, thanks to Penn's less-inclusive heirs, eventually triggered so much resentment among Native Americans that they allied themselves with the French.

quicklist: 13Category: 13 Original Coloniestitle: Georgiatext: Founded by James Edward Oglethorpe, Georgia was not founded as a penal colony, despite the persistent misconception.