Foldable Activity
Southern Colonies
MD, VA, NC, SC, GA
Economic reasons
Jamestown (1607)
Founded by a joint-stock company to find gold, later grew tobacco
‘Starving Time’ (1609-1610); 60 of 500 inhabitants survived
Rescued by John Smith
Later- religion
MD: Lord Baltimore (1632)
Catholics
1st colony to offer religious toleration to Christians (MD Toleration Act)
Scotts-Irish & Moravians in NC
GA- last colony founded as a buffer with Spanish FL
James Oglethorpe
Debtor and penal colony
Geography
Tidewater Area: Low lying nutrient rich soil. Excellent for growing crops/
transporting crops
Backcountry: Thick forest; not good for growing, but good for hunting.
Climate
Longer Growing Season
Warm and Moist- good for cash crops
Economy
Tobacco, rice, indigo
Tobacco was the initial big money maker
All crops required lots of manual labor
Indentured servants- work up to 7 years to pay for their passage
Headright system- 50 acres to colonists who brought them to America
Eventually replaced by slavery (mid 1600s)
Outnumber Europeans in SC by 1700s
Led to the rise of the plantation system—large tracts of land with lots of workers
Like most places in the colonies, towns & plantations are on coasts and rivers
Middle Colonies
PA, DE, NY, NJ
PA—William Penn
Quakers
Lots of religious toleration
DE splits off from PA
NY- proprietary of the Duke of York
Originally took from the Dutch (New Netherland)
Gave some to friends and that turned into New Jersey
Very diverse region
New Amsterdam: Dutch, Germans, French, Scandinavians, African slaves,
PA: English, Dutch, Germans, French, Moravians (PA Germans), Scots-Irish
Religious groups: Quakers, Lutherans, Jews (1654), Muslims, Presbyterians,
Mennonites
Eventually, Moravians and Scotts-Irish drift from PA to NC (Winston-Salem and
mountains)
Climate
Long growing season and fertile soil
Mild climate- more rain
Geography
Rivers to transport crops and areas for trade
Development of large cities- Philadelphia and New York- industry
Economy
Farming (wheat “bread basket”), commerce, industry (mines, sawmills), furs
Some slaves
Skilled craftsmen
New England
MA, NH, RI, CT
Plymouth 1620—founded by Puritans (Pilgrims)
Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630)—joint-stock company owned by Puritans
Other colonies grow from Massachusetts Bay.
Climate and Geography
Harsh, cold
Less diseases so longer life expectancy
Short growing season, rocky soil
Economy
Shipbuilding, fishing, shipping, commerce, small family farms, few slaves
Puritan work ethic
New England Life
Small towns, held town meetings
Literacy very high, including women
Harvard, Princeton, and William & Mary all founded to train ministers
Taxes establish local schools, beginning of public education
Family was key, church kept an eye on family dynamics
Stern- idleness was a crime