English Colonies in America

The Southern Colonies Have you ever been to a southern state? What was it like? What are some of the natural features that you remember?

Tobacco field in Virginia

South Carolina “low country”

Southern Geography The geography of the Chesapeake Bay region was perfectly suited to tobacco farming. The inlets and rivers acted as “water highways” that connected to bay. Farms were built close to rivers. The colonists in this area built very few roads

The Southern Economy A few years after the founding of Jamestown, tobacco became the South’s first successful cash crop. A cash crop is a crop grown primarily for market. Tobacco was the main cash crop in Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina. Rice and indigo were grown in South Carolina.

Southern Society Planter Elite (Gentry) Slaves Owned the plantations. Had the most M, P, R. Planter Elite (Gentry) Subsistence farmers. Grew just enough food to survive. Had very little M,P, R. Backcountry Farmers (Yeomen) No M, P, R. Slaves

New England Economy In New England and the Middle Colonies, a diverse economy supported many large port cities. Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island The region’s unsuitability for cash crops prevented the development of large plantations. New Englanders experimented with growing wheat, but corn was the main crop grown in colonial New England. New England farmers grew barley, oats, rye, beans, peas, pumpkins, squash, turnips. They had apple orchards, and made use of cranberries, blackberries, and strawberries which all grow wild in New England. Farmers also raised livestock, including oxen, dairy cattle, sheep, and pigs.

Sea - Fishing and Whaling Fishing, more than any other industry, brought prosperity to New England. Whaling was also prosperous along the coast. Whalers sought blubber, ambergris, and bones. The fall line is the area where rivers descend from a high elevation to a lower one. The waterfalls were used to power sawmills. Lumber cut at these sawmills was used to produce furniture, spinning wheels, barrels, and ships.

Economy of the Middle Colonies The Middle Colonies contained some of the most fertile farmland in North America. New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware The regions main cash crop was wheat. Wheat farming led to prosperity and created distinct groups of entrepreneurs and capitalists.

Recap Location Geography Resource New England Colonies -Unsuitable for large farming -Coastal -Plenty of waterfalls -Small scale farming -Fishing/Whaling -Lumber/Shipbuilding Middle Colonies -Fertile Farmland -Wheat Southern Colonies -Warm climate for growing cash crops -Water highways -Cash crops such as tobacco, rice, and indigo Society -City life with an order of merchants, artisans, labor, and slaves. -Creates a class of wealthy famers, entrepreneurs, and capitalists. -Plantation life of gentry, subsistence farmers, and slaves.