Northern, Middle & Southern Colonies American History 1

Northern Colonies

Why Were they founded: New Hampshire: founded by proprietors for trading and fishing. Massachusetts: founded for religious freedom by the puritans and separatists. Rhode Island: founded by Roger Williams for religious freedom—from the puritans. Connecticut: founded by Thomas Hooker for religious freedom.

Political Theocracy: - This term was applied to the political regimes established in the Massachusetts Bay and New Haven colonies. - The government was dominated by Puritans—religion and government were NOT separate as they are today. - To become a voter you had to be a member of the Puritan church. - Puritan men elected their governor and assembly. Massachusetts Bay colony was the first to do this.

Political (cont.) Rhode Island: On July 15, 1663 King Charles II granted Rhode Island a charter and thus, it became a Charter Colony which was largely self-governed. The charter established the rules of government, but allowed the Rhode Island colonists a great amount of freedom within those rules. Not as religiously conservative/ strict as Massachusetts Bay. Roger Williams left Massachusetts Bay Colony as a result of their rigid religiosity. This colony was welcoming to all people and allowed each to practice their own religion.

Economic The New England Colonies consisted of subsistence farming, shipbuilding industries, cod (fish) industries, grain mills, saw mills and lots of trade. Strong belief in mercantilism Mercantilism: the belief in the benefits of profitable trading—commercialism. Could not raise crops most demanded by Europeans (tobacco, sugar, rice, indigo) because of their rough geography Largest exports to England: Lumber and Fish

Religious The New England Colonies were very religious. Puritans were unhappy with the church of England—settle new colonies in New England. They wanted to reform the church. Pilgrims were also religious, though they were religious separatists—they wanted to completely abandon the Anglican church. Disagreements over religious freedom in the colonies—causes Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson to leave.

Geography - Poor soil for agriculture - Rocky, full of trees/ lumber which would be used for shipbuilding and to export to England. - New Englanders had to look for other ways to make money and provide for themselves.

Middle Colonies

Political Generally Middle Colonies were more open to diverse peoples than their northern counterparts. -Representative Democracy would have been common here.

Political- Penn - William Penn: granted land by King Charles II because he saw the Quakers as dangerous radicals. Governed colony of Pennsylvania. - Advertises land, freedom, and refuge for Quakers - Quaker Government: Guaranteed elected assembly (Representative Democracy) Charter of Liberties (Freedom of Worship, Open Immigration) Fair treatment of Native Americans

Economic - Family farms were able to produce more and become more profitable because of climate. - Crops: corn, wheat, rye, barley - Philadelphia and NY are seaports that were very prosperous.

Religious Religion was mostly tolerated - New Jersey had very diverse religions - No single religious group dominated Quakers Baptists Anglicans Presbyterians Lutherans Jewish

Geography - Warm summers and cold winters - Agriculture was better than in the North but not as good as the South - Soil was good for select crops - Blended economy – Farming and trade

Southern Colonies

Political Royal Colonies: belonged to the Crown (England) Proprietary colonies: belonged to powerful individuals or companies - Maryland: Lord Baltimore granted a charter (proprietary) - The Carolinas: English aristocrats (Lords Proprietors) ended up demanding Crown to take over. Elected assemblies in each colony - Georgia: James Oglethorpe enforced strict rules for colonists (no drinking, owning slaves, owning plantations, etc.)

Economic 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 – Wheat and Tobacco North Carolina – Cattle and Lumber South Carolina and Georgia – Rice and Indigo

Religious A pretty insignificant role - southern colonies established for profit rather than for religious freedom. Maryland: refuge for Catholics, discriminated against by Protestants in England South Carolina: diverse population of the colony brought diverse religious beliefs and practices Georgia: religious tolerance and freedom

Geography Nutrient rich soil that was good for farming. -received enough rain to support agriculture