Name: _______________________
Southeast
Intro to the
1. If you were a farmer in the southeast, what types
of crops could you grow that farmers in other
regions couldn’t grow?
a. ___________________________________
b. ___________________________________
c. ___________________________________
d. ___________________________________
e. ____________________________________
2. Why do you think these types of crops grow in the
southeast, but not other areas?
Directions: The following passage tells about cotton and its role in the
southeastern region of the United States. As you read:
 Underline important information
 Highlight and place a question mark next to confusing or difficult words or
phrases.
 Circle words or terms you don’t know
 Write connections, questions, or “I wonder” statements as you need in the
right hand column
 Write what you think the “main idea” or “major theme” of each paragraph
is.
Purpose: As you read each paragraph:
 Think about how this is different from agriculture in the northeast.
 Compare and contrast what you read to what agriculture is like today.
 Share with your partner and jot down some of your ideas in the right hand
column.
Cotton is a plant which grows in parts of the world with
long, hot, dry summers. First, the fields of cotton plants
are green, and when they flower the fields are a mass
of yellow-pink blooms. Harvesting begins after the
cotton has flowered and the sear head or boll has
ripened and burst. Cotton was originally harvested by
hand. But, it was the invention of machines during the
Industrial Revolution which led to the amazing growth
in cotton growing and cotton spinning.
In the southeast, mild winters and hot, humid summers
made it possible to grow crops throughout the year and
was ideally suited for plantations. The southeast is
warmer than the northeast. Additionally, the
geography of the Southern Colonies featured fertile
soil, hilly coastal plains, forests, long rivers and swamp
areas. The warm weather and fertile soil allowed the
Southern Colonies to concentrate on developing
plantations that eventually grew cotton, tobacco, rice,
sugar cane, and indigo.
Cotton plantations were established using a system of
agriculture in which large farms in the Southern
Colonies used the enforced labor of slaves to plant and
harvest cotton for trade and export. In cotton
plantations, crops were planted on a large scale and
dependent on a large labor force. The system and
economics of the Plantations were based on “cash
crops” in which cotton was sold for profits in distant
markets. Some of the southern plantations were
massive and consisted of the main house, slave
quarters, a dairy, blacksmith’s shop, laundry,
smokehouse, and barns which made the plantations
self-sufficient. Crops were traded for items that could
not be produced on the plantations including farm
tools, shoes, lace, and dishes.
Important Facts
Questions/Wonderings
Unfamiliar words/terms
Exit Ticket
Write a description of what the geography and climate must be like in the
Southeast based on what you’ve read so far.
(Minimum 3 Lines)
Extension: What are some things you would like to know more about Lincoln?
1. ____________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________