Beyond Virginia: Revisiting The South Maryland, the Carolinas and Georgia

Starter – September 4th Why would the middle colonies become the most diverse? How did the Quakers influence this?

Settling Maryland Founded in 1634 by George Calvert who started a charter but didn’t live to see it come true. He believed all people should have religious freedom. King Charles I was king and didn’t agree with the religious freedom. In 1649, the Toleration Act was passed that guaranteed equality of rights for everyone for religion.

Settling The Carolinas Charles town was formed in 1670 Settled by the descendants of Englishmen who had colonized Barbados. Barbados’s primary export was sugar, and its plantations were worked by slaves. Initially, the economy was based on trading furs and providing food for the West Indies By the middle of the 18th century, large rice- growing plantations worked by African slaves created an economy and culture that resembled the West Indies

The Caribbean Connection Although Carolina was geographically closer to the Chesapeake colonies, it was culturally closer to the West Indies in the seventeenth century since its early settlers—both blacks and whites—came from Barbados.

Democratic North Carolina Settled by Virginians and developed into a Virginia-like colony Farmers from VA and New England established small, self-sufficient tobacco farms Region had few good harbors and poor transportation so there were fewer large plantations and less reliance on slavery By the 18th century, the colony earned a reputation for democratic views and autonomy from British control

Settling Georgia James Oglethorpe wanted debtors to have a new start in life instead of going to prison. He and 20 other trustees received a charter to settle Georgia. Georgia’s population included former debtors, impoverished British craftspeople, religious refugees from Germany and Switzerland. By 1770 nearly half of the population was made of enslaved Africans.

The Last Colony A proprietary colony and the only colony to receive direct financial support from the home government in London Set up for 2 reasons Defensive buffer Rid England’s overcrowded jails of debtors Colony did not thrive because of the constant threat of Spanish attack Taken over by the British government in 1752 when Oglethorpe and his group gave up Bans on slavery and rum dropped Colony grew slowly by adopting the plantation system of South Carolina