The Southern Colonies

The Southern Colonies

The Southern Colonies Much warmer climate than either the New England or Middle colonies Long growing seasons made it perfect for cash crops (i.e. tobacco, indigo, rice, and sugar.)

The Plantation Economy With a large amount of good soil, the south relied on agriculture Large farms, called Plantations, became common.

Plantations . . . Large farms require a large labor force to operate. Southern plantations owners had two forms of labor for their farms.

Indentured Servants Some people wanted to move to the colonies, but could not afford the journey. They became indentured servants. They signed a contract with plantation owners, agreeing to work for them for a period of time in exchange for the trip to America.

The African slave trade In the 1700’s, Slaves were brought from Africa to work on southern plantations More to come on the slave trade later. . .

The Exception - Georgia The southern colony that did not fit this mold was Georgia

Doin’ time ‘cause you owe a dime In England, people who could not afford to pay their debts off would be arrested and thrown in jail.

James Oglethorpe To clean out Britain’s debtor prisons (jails for people who owe $) the king gave James Oglethorpe a land grant for Georgia.

Georgia Georgia also provided a defensive buffer between the colonies and Spanish Florida.

Summary Activity Using the chart provided, fill in each column with the Political, Economic, Geographic and Social characteristics of all 3 colonial regions. New England Colonies Middle Colonies Southern Colonies P E G S