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The Commercial North
KEY IDEA
The Northern colonies developed a
predominantly urban society, based on
commerce and trade.
OVERVIEW
ASSESSMENT
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OVERVIEW
MAIN IDEA
WHY IT MATTERS NOW
The Northern colonies developed
a predominantly urban society,
based on commerce and trade.
The states that were once the
Northern colonies remain
predominantly urban today.
TERMS & NAMES
• Jonathan Edwards
• Enlightenment
• Benjamin Franklin
• Great Awakening
ASSESSMENT
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ASSESSMENT
1. Study the diagram below. For each of the three
topics shown on the diagram, list examples that
illustrate the diversity of the Northern colonies.
The Diversity of Northern Colonies
Economy
Population
examples
Cash crops,
fisheries, mills,
manufacturing
examples
English, Germans,
Scots-Irish, other
immigrant groups,
African slaves
Religious Groups
examples
Anglicans, Roman Catholics,
Quakers, Methodists, other
Protestant denominations,
Jews
continued . . .
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ASSESSMENT
2. What positive and negative trends that emerged in the
Northern colonies during the 1700s do you think still
affect the United States today? Think About:
• the growth of cities
• the influx of immigrants
• the status of women and African Americans
• the effects of the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening
ANSWER
Positive trends: immigration; education; spirit of scientific inquiry; belief in
individual rights that government must respect; religious diversity
Negative trends: racial, ethnic, and gender bias; mistrust of immigrants;
continued . . .
violence against minorities
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ASSESSMENT
3. How do you think a person who believed in the ideas
of the Enlightenment might have assessed the Salem
witchcraft trials? Support your response with reasons.
ANSWER
The Salem witchcraft trials reveal what can happen when
superstition and emotions rather than reason dominate
people’s perceptions and thinking. In reaching their
verdicts, court officials allowed intense emotions to
cloud the issues, did not separate fact from opinion, and
believed accusations that were not supported by
evidence.
continued . . .
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ASSESSMENT
4. In what ways did the Northern colonies differ from
the Southern colonies in the 1700s?
ANSWER
North: more urban, many towns and cities
South: largely agricultural, few large cities
Because raising wheat and corn did not require as much
labor as raising tobacco or rice, Northerners had less
incentive to turn to slavery than did Southerners.
End of Section 3