Motivations for Exploration and Colonization
Grade 7
Why Did People Start Colonies?
During the 1600s, European nations began establishing colonies in North America. People traveled across the Atlantic Ocean for many different reasons. Some hoped to find wealth through trade and natural resources. Others were looking for land, political power, or new opportunities. Some people also wanted a place where they could practice their religion more freely.
The Maryland colony was founded by George Calvert, also known as Lord Baltimore. His family hoped to create a colony that would provide economic opportunities and a place where Catholics could practice their faith more safely. However, starting a colony was difficult, expensive, and risky.
In this lesson, students will explore the different motivations behind exploration and colonization, and investigate why Maryland was founded.
Teacher's Guide and Related Standards
Students will identify and analyze the economic, religious, and political motivations behind the founding of the Maryland colony.
- What motivated people to explore and establish colonies in North America?
Film Clip 1
This clip explains Lord Calvert’s first colony in the Americas in Ferryland, Newfoundland, the end of the Avalon project, and the start of his new project in the Chesapeake Bay region. It features Henry Miller of Historic St. Mary’s City, and historians Edward C. Papenfuse and Sean Cadigan.
- What motivated Lord Calvert to set up a colony in Newfoundland?
- What caused the Avalon colony to fail?
- What happened when Lord Calvert went to Virginia?
- What types of people made up the passengers on the Ark and the Dove?
Film Clip 2
- What motivated families like the Coles to move to the Maryland colony?
Vocabulary
Supplemental Enrichment Activities
Exploring Maryland’s Founding
The colony of Maryland was founded with specific goals in mind. Leaders like George Calvert and his family hoped to create a colony that offered both economic opportunity and religious freedom. Settlers who came to Maryland had their own reasons for coming to the colony.
Read pages 9 and 10 of the Students Guide to Historic St. Mary's City to learn the answer to the question “Why did people leave England to come to Maryland?” As you read, write down the motivations that may have encouraged people to settle in Maryland.
» Go to Historic St. Mary’s Students Guide to Historic St. Mary's City
Maryland, My Maryland
The colonization of Maryland impacts the lives of not just the settlers but also the Indigenous people who already lived on the land. It also affected the enslaved people who were brought there, whose labor fueled the colonial economy.
Explore the sources in the following inquiry kit, and answer the thinking questions:
- Who were some groups of people in Maryland in the middle of the 1600s?
- Why would people leave their homes in Europe to build a life in an unfamiliar place like Maryland?
- If you were a settler in Maryland, what would you tell your friends and families back home in Europe? What do you need? What do you like or not like?
» Go to Thinkport Education: Early America (1400-1763) | Maryland, My Maryland
European Exploration and Colonization
Beginning in the late 1400s, European nations began exploring and colonizing the Americas. Explorers like Christopher Columbus were searching for new trade routes, but they also discovered lands rich in resources. Soon, countries such as Spain, England, and France competed to claim land, gain wealth, and expand their power.
Read the following Library of Congress article about the beginnings of colonial settlement in North America and take notes on these questions:
- How did the different European powers hope to benefit from colonization?
- Based on what you’ve learned, how were other countries’ purposes different from those of the founders of Maryland?
- What factors contributed to Europeans' success in establishing permanent colonial settlements?
» Go to Library of Congress: Overview: Colonial Settlement, 1600s - 1763