The Southern Colonies

Key Words Mason- Dixon Line- Divided the Middle and Southern colonies between Pennsylvania and Maryland Bacon’s Rebellion- Uprising against the Native Americans and a greedy Virginia governor who forced settlers inland and did not protect them Slave Codes- Rules and laws for slaves behavior which denied them basic rights Indigo- A plant used to make valuable blue dye

Maryland Sir George Calvert got the charter from King Charles I in 1632 His son, Lord Baltimore, settled the area in 1634 About 200 colonists settled there Lord Baltimore was the proprietor of the colony He appointed a governor, and set up a council of advisors He gave colonists some control by creating an elected assembly Offered lots of land for those who brought over servants Both Catholics and Protestants were allowed to worship there He passed the “Act of Toleration” in 1649

Virginia Many new colonists were flocking to Virginia Lots of great fertile land for planters to prosper Wealthy planters had a lock on the best land near the coast New settlers were forced inland Started to crowd out the Native Americans Virginias governor would not protect the settlers He made money from the fur trade with the Native Americans Bacon’s rebellion ensued in 1676

The Carolinas Carolinas granted by King Charles II in 1663 North Carolina was made up mainly of small farms Poor tobacco planters who had moved south from Virginia settled this region South Carolina was settled by 8 noblemen from England Set up larger plantations for cash crops Rice, tobacco, and indigo we common Large plantations needed large scale labor Turned to Native American slaves first Natives escaped, or died of disease They then turned to the African slave trade African slaves outnumbered white settlers in S.C. 2-1 in the early 1700’s

Georgia James Oglethorpe founded Georgia in 1732 He wanted it to be a place where debtors could get a fresh start Debtors could be imprisoned in England Oglethorpe paid for debtors and other poor people to come there He felt that there was plenty of good land for people to succeed Savannah was founded in 1733 Founded by Oglethorpe and 120 colonists No plantations over 500 acres and no slavery early on Rules were amended later on to allow larger plantations as well as slavery The colony grew quickly after the amendment to the rules

Two Ways of Life Tidewater Plantations Large plantations growing cash crops Owners had many slaves and servants and lived in large houses, some even had their own docks where merchant ships could dock Many grew very wealthy and this is what the stereotypical southern life was Backcountry South More equality and independence Subsistence agriculture ruled Excess goods were sold at market Hardly any slaves and there was not nearly as much wealth People worked together for the common good more often