When coming to America, the Pilgrims suffered from the weather and lack of food. However, they created a form of government which they all agreed upon before landing and setting up a colony.

This was called the Mayflower Compact which set up rules by which everyone would abide.

Get your Social Studies textbook and turn to page 214. Read the section called “Read a History Map.”

Does our country look the same or different today than it does in this map? Explain. Are changes you see today caused by nature or people or both? Which group of people landed in Jamestown? Where is Jamestown? What ocean did these people cross to get to America?

Why do you think the English colonists settled in on the coastline of Virginia? What was the set of rules the colonists made before they landed in Virginia? Where did the Pilgrims land? As more people began coming to America, what happened to the land? What were the new challenges people had to face with the increase in population and the changing of land?

England wanted to rule the colonies, but the colonists wanted to be free.

The colonies had become one country and wanted independence for which they were willing to fight.

In your Social Studies textbook, read pages and pages about the thirteen colonies and the role Paul Revere played.

Remember, the colonists wanted to be free from England. They were called “Patriots.” Those who wanted to remain under English rule were called “Loyalists.”

The Revolutionary War began in 1775 and caused a change in America. This war lasted until 1783.

Don’t forget Paul Revere! He was a Patriot who learned that the English (British) troops in Boston were going to march down the countryside to fight the Americans who wanted their freedom from England.

He set up a secret signal to warn the Americans the English (British) were coming. He put lanterns in Boston’s North Church steeple. One lantern would show the British left by land, and two lanterns would show the British left Boston by sea.

Thomas Jefferson played a key role in our history. He wrote the "Declaration of Independence" stating the colonies would be free from England. It was signed on July 4, 1776.

Can you locate the thirteen colonies on a U.S. map? 1. Massachusetts 2. New Hampshire 3. New York 4. Connecticut 5. Rhode Island 6. Pennsylvania 7. New Jersey 8. Delaware 9. Maryland 10. Virginia 11. North Carolina 12. South Carolina 13. Georgia Atlantic Ocean