Topic: The New England, Middle, and Southern
Colonies
EQ: What were the characteristics of these
colonies?
A colony is…A colony is a group of people who settle in a new place but keep ties to their homeland.
English settlers created colonies in North America because:
• They wanted to profit from resources they could get in America.
• They wanted a place to freely practice religion
• They owed the British government money, and needed escape!
England FULLY supported settlers who wanted to form colonies in N. America.• They were competing
with France/Spain for land
• Wanted $! (Of course)• 1600s: practiced
MERCANTILISM=– A policy in which
nations tried to gain wealth by creating colonies and controlling trade
By 1733, there were 13 colonies along the Atlantic coastline.
• These colonies were grouped into 3 different zones
• They all had different climates/resources
Region 1: New England Colonies• Included:– Massachusetts –MA – Rhone Island-RI– Connecticut- CT– New Hampshire-NH
• Settlers in these colonies were seeking religions freedom
Climate/Resources in New England Colonies
• Farming hard because of rocky, hilly surroundings
• Very cold, long winters
• Built economy on small farms, lumbering, fishing, shipbuilding, trade
The middle colonies:
• These included:– New York-NY– Pennsylvania-PA– New Jersey- NJ – Delaware-DE
• Some climate was wooded forests, some valleys for farming
People who settled middle colonies were diverse:
• One group was the Quakers- settled PA– They wanted religious
freedom
• French, Dutch, German, Swedish, Irish, and even more groups settled this region!
Southern Colonies: • These included• -Maryland-MD• Virginia- VA• North Carolina- NC• South Carolina- SC• Georgia- GA
Southern Colonies Climate was:
• River filled• Wetlands merged into
sea• Soil great for growing
tobacco, rice, sugar, cotton and CASH CROPS– (Crops) raised in big
amounts to sell
Wealthy colonists created large farms called plantations.
• Plantation owners relied on indentured servants and enslaved Africans to harvest fields
• Crops/resources were brought to coast and transported to other colonies and Europe for $