13 Colonies Quiz: Can You Name All the Original Colonies?
Quick 13 colonies test to check what you know. Instant results.
Use this 13 colonies quiz to see how many original colonies you can name and spot what to review before your next test. To build map skills, try 13 colonies map practice and thirteen colonies map quiz. Curious how regions shaped trade? Explore colonial geography and trade.
Study Outcomes
- Identify the 13 Original Colonies -
By taking this 13 colonies quiz, you will be able to name all thirteen British settlements and recognize each colony's unique founding purpose.
- Recall Founding Dates -
This quiz on the 13 colonies will help you remember key establishment years and link each colony to its historical timeline.
- Locate Colonial Regions -
Through our thirteen colonies quiz, you'll accurately place each colony within New England, the Middle Colonies, or the Southern Colonies.
- Compare Regional Characteristics -
Analyze differences in economy, governance, and society across the colonies and understand how geography shaped their development.
- Evaluate Personal Knowledge -
Review your score on the 13 original colonies quiz to identify strengths and areas for further exploration in colonial history.
Cheat Sheet
- Cluster Chronology by Region -
Study the colonies in three time-bound regions: New England (Massachusetts 1620, New Hampshire 1630, Connecticut 1636, Rhode Island 1636), Middle (Delaware 1638, New York & New Jersey 1664, Pennsylvania 1681), and Southern (Virginia 1607, Maryland 1634, North/South Carolina 1653/1663, Georgia 1733). This approach, recommended by the Smithsonian's Colonial Studies Center, reduces overload by grouping similar settlement waves. Quizzing yourself on each regional cluster simplifies memorization for a thirteen colonies quiz.
- Economic Foundations & Export Crops -
Remember the Northern shipbuilding and trade focus, Middle "breadbasket" grain production, and Southern tobacco, rice, and indigo plantations (Library of Congress). A quick mnemonic: "Ships, Wheat, & Tobacco" maps directly to New England, Middle, and Southern colonies in a 13 colonies quiz. Visualizing a map while naming the dominant export reinforces economic differences.
- Founding Motives & Charter Sponsors -
Match each colony to its motive and sponsor: e.g., Virginia Company for profit (Virginia), Puritan dissenters (Massachusetts Bay), Lord Baltimore's haven for Catholics (Maryland), and William Penn's Quaker refuge (Pennsylvania). University of Pennsylvania archives offer a handy matching chart that's great for quiz drills. Flashcards pairing colony, date, and sponsor can boost recall during a quiz on the 13 colonies.
- Key Colonial Documents & Dates -
Learn the landmark documents: Mayflower Compact (1620), Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639), and Pennsylvania's Frame of Government (1682) (National Archives). A timeline chart helps you slot each document into the broader colonial narrative, aiding a thirteen colonies quiz. Quoting a phrase from each, like "just and equal laws" for Connecticut, anchors memory.
- Map Skills & Capital Locations -
Practice drawing a blank Atlantic coast map and marking each colony's boundaries and capitals (Colonial Williamsburg Library). Spatial recall is key for "identify on map" questions in a 13 original colonies quiz. Labeling capitals like Boston, Philadelphia, and Charleston under timed conditions builds speed and accuracy.