The Southern Colonies
Southern Colonies Geography
• Maryland, Virginia, North
Carolina, South Carolina,
and Georgia
• The colonies share a
coastal area called
Tidewater and rolling hills
called the Piedmont to
the west
• Climate is warm and
humid, perfect for
farming
• Long growing seasons
lead to growth of slavery
Virginia Grows
• By the 1670s, Virginia’s
population has
increased significantly
• More land is available
to grow tobacco due to
Indian deaths
• Wealthy farmers own
most of the fertile land,
while poor farmers
struggle
Slaves Grow and Harvest Tobacco
Bacon’s Rebellion
• Poor farmers move inland to find better land
• Fighting broke out between the poor farmers and the
Native Americans
• The farmers demand that the governor of Virginia take
action: he did nothing due to a profitable trade with
NA for fur
• Nathaniel Bacon organizes the farmers and attacks the
NA; governor declares them rebels and they eventually
burn down Jamestown
• Bacon became sick and died; his rebellion showed that
the gov. could not stop people from moving west
Bacon’s Rebellion
Nathaniel Bacon Confronts Virginia’s Governor
Religious Toleration in Maryland
• King Charles I grants a
charter for a colony that
acts as a safe haven for
Catholics
• Lord Baltimore founds
Maryland and establishes
the Act of Toleration in
1649
• All Christians were
welcome and all Christian
males could vote
Lord Baltimore
The Carolinas
• In 1663, Charles II granted a charter for
Carolina to be created
• The north developed slowly and settlers lived
on small farms with no waterways
• The south developed quickly where slaves
worked to grow sugar and rice
• These two reasons eventually lead to Carolina
splitting into two: North Carolina and South
Carolina
Georgia
• Georgia is founded for
two reasons: the
English did not want
Spain to spread north
and James Oglethorpe
wanted a colony that
was a safe haven for
debtors
• Originally Georgia
banned slavery but by
the 1750s it was legal
James Oglethorpe
The Tidewater
• The Tidewater regions in the southern
colonies develop plantations and slavery
• Tobacco becomes a huge cash crop
• Society is split between slaveholders and
slaves; small groups of wealthy and large
groups of poor farmers
The Backcountry
• The backcountry was cut off from the coast
• Most people lived on small farms
• People in the backcountry cared less about
rank
• Many felt like the colonial government only
cared about protecting the wealth of large
plantation owners