<P> In 1606 , King James I of England granted charters to both the Plymouth Company and the London Company for the purpose of establishing permanent settlements in North America . The London Company established the Colony and Dominion of Virginia in 1607 , the first permanently settled English colony on the North American continent . The Plymouth Company founded the Popham Colony on the Kennebec River , but it was short - lived . The Plymouth Council for New England sponsored several colonization projects , culminating with Plymouth Colony in 1620 which was settled by the English Puritans , known today as the Pilgrims . The Dutch , Swedish , and French also established successful North American colonies at roughly the same time as the English , but they eventually came under the English crown . The Thirteen Colonies were complete with the establishment of the Province of Georgia in 1732 , although the term `` Thirteen Colonies '' became current only in the context of the American Revolution . </P>
<P> In 1606 , King James I of England granted charters to both the Plymouth Company and the London Company for the purpose of establishing permanent settlements in North America . The London Company established the Colony and Dominion of Virginia in 1607 , the first permanently settled English colony on the North American continent . The Plymouth Company founded the Popham Colony on the Kennebec River , but it was short - lived . The Plymouth Council for New England sponsored several colonization projects , culminating with Plymouth Colony in 1620 which was settled by the English Puritans , known today as the Pilgrims . The Dutch , Swedish , and French also established successful North American colonies at roughly the same time as the English , but they eventually came under the English crown . The Thirteen Colonies were complete with the establishment of the Province of Georgia in 1732 , although the term `` Thirteen Colonies '' became current only in the context of the American Revolution . </P>
which was the first of the original thirteen colonies
which was the first of the original thirteen colonies
Colony and Dominion of Virginia
Colony and Dominion of Virginia