Northern, Middle, and
Southern Colonies
Economy, Religion, Society, and Government
England Colonizes in the
New World
Northern Colonies
North (New England) Colonies
Economy
 Could not raise crops most demanded by
Europeans (tobacco, sugar, rice, indigo) because
of geography
 Small farms where they raised livestock and grew
wheat, rye, corn, and potatoes
 Export lumber and fish to England
 Boston (port): merchants did business and carried
out trade between the colonies and England
North (New England) Colonies
Religion
 The Puritans, unhappy with the Church of England,
settle new colonies in New England
 The first Puritans to arrive in Massachusetts in 1620 and
come over on the Mayflower
 In 1630, John Winthrop brings a larger group of
Puritans over and founds the Massachusetts Bay Colony
called the “City on a Hill”
John Winthrop, 1630
 “For we must consider that we shall be as a City
upon a Hill. The eyes of the people are upon us. [So’
that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work
we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw
his present help from us, we shall be made a story
and a byword throughout the world.”
North (New England) Colonies
Government
 Winthrop got a charter from the King to settle the new colony
 The gov’t was dominated by Puritans---religion and gov’t were NOT
separate like they are today
 To become a voter you had to be a member of the Puritan church
(and remember, not everyone gets to be a member!)
 Puritan men elected their governor and assembly---Massachusetts
Bay was the first to do this
 Colonies sprung up rapidly along the coast and inland—Maine,
Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire
North (New England) Colonies
Society
 Few African-Americans
 Most immigrants were of middle class and came as families
 Balance between men and women= rapid population growth
 Granted land to men/churches
 Establish towns and support public schools
 Adults more literate
 “Grammar schools” for boys and “Dame schools” for girls
 Basics of reading/writing -> Bible
Middle Colonies
Middle Colonies
Economy
 Family farms were able to produce more and
become more profitable because of the climate
 Crops: corn, wheat, rye, barley
 Philadelphia and NY are seaports that were
very prosperous
Middle Colonies
Religion
 Religion was mostly tolerated
 New Jersey- very diverse religions
 No single religious group dominated
 Quakers
 Baptists
 Anglicans
 Presbyterians
 Lutherans
 Jewish
Middle Colonies
Government
 William Penn: granted land by King Charles II because
he saw the Quakers as dangerous radicals
 Governs the colony of Pennsylvania
 Advertises land, freedom, refuge for Quakers
 “Frame of Government”
 Guaranteed elected assembly (Representative Democracy)
 Charter of Liberties (freedom of worship, open immigration)
 Fair treatment of Native Americans
Middle Colonies
Society
 Relatively few African-Americans
 Most ethnically/culturally diverse region and tolerant of religions
 Immigrants had better opportunities here then elsewhere
 Education is less available so colonists taught reading/math to
their own children
 Colleges- few, small, expensive
 College of New Jersey (Princeton)
 Queens (Rutgers)
Southern Colonies
Southern Colonies
Economy
 Produce the most valuable and profitable crops
 Cash crop: a crop grown for sale/profit (TOBACCO!!)
 Staple crop: a crop in steady demand
 Virginia/Maryland: staple crops like wheat and tobacco
 North Carolina: cattle and lumber
 South Carolina and Georgia: rice and indigo
 Charleston, SC: largest port city
Southern Colonies
Religion
 A pretty insignificant role
 Southern colonies established for profit rather then religious
freedom
 Maryland: refuge for Catholics discriminated against by
Protestants in England
 S. Carolina: diverse population of the colony brought diverse
religious beliefs and practices
 Georgia: religious tolerance and freedom
Southern Colonies
Government
 Royal colonies: belonged to the Crown (England)
 Proprietary colonies: belonged to powerful individuals or companies
 Maryland: Lord Baltimore granted charter (proprietary)
 The Carolinas: English aristocrats (Lords Proprietor)  ended up
demanding Crown to take over  elected assemblies in each colony
 Georgia: James Oglethorpe  strict rules for colonists (no drinking,
owning slaves, owning plantations)
 WHY?!?!
Southern Colonies
Society
 Most immigrants were poor, young, single men seeking
work
 Slavery produced great profits
 Plantations are far from one another and people are
excluded from society  hard to keep churches and
schools going  illiteracy is more common
 Slavery promoted greater economic inequality