1. Governing the Colonies
Magna Carta- The Magna Carta was a government document that limited the power of the king of England and protected the rights of the nobility. It was written by the English nobility in 1215.
Big Ideas:
Limited Government
Rights
Rule of Law
Due Process- fair treatment through the normal judicial system.

2. English Bill of Rights
The English Bill of Rights was a government document that expanded the powers of the English Parliament and expanded the rights of the people, as well as further limited the rights of the king. It was written by the members of the English Parliament in 1689.
Big Ideas:
Limited Government
Rights
Due Process
Rule of Law

3. The Colonial Regions Were very different
Were as different as “fire and water”
Still they continued to grow
,000
1770’s- 2,500,000
African Americans- 28,000 to more than 500,000
Immigration increased
Most lived in cities
New York, Philadelphia, Charles Town, Savannah, and Newport
Freedom of worship was allowed here

4. New England Colonies Most people lived in well organized towns
Meetinghouse- church and town meetings
Citizen army trained
Farms were smaller
New England had a poor growing season and rocky soil
Farmers practiced subsistence farming
Just enough to meet their families needs
Most Northern farmers relied on their children for labor

5. Commerce in New England
Commerce= trade
Many small businesses
Water ran mills for grinding grain or sawing lumber
Women made cloth, garments, candles, and soap for their families
Sometimes to sell
Large towns attracted skilled craftspeople
Blacksmiths, shoemakers, furniture makers, gunsmiths, metalsmiths, and printers
Shipbuilding was important
Fishing and whaling was very important

6. Colonial Trade Northern coastal cities were the centers of trade
Linked Northern Colonies with Southern Colonies
Also linked to other parts of the world
New England ships traded with the West Indies and across the Atlantic Ocean
Followed different trading routes
England and back
Triangular trade
Example: Rum to Africa
Slavery was very common in the West Indies

7. The Middle Passage
Enslaved Africans first went to a European Fort on the West African coast
Tied together with ropes around their necks and hands
Branded
Forced on a ship
Trip across Atlantic is called the Middle Passage

8. The Journey A young African Olaudah Equiano described his journey:
“So crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us…”
Chained together for more than a month

9. More Middle Passage Could hardly sit or stand
Given little food or water
Africans that died or became sick were thrown overboard
Those that refused to eat were whipped
When they reached American ports they went to the slave market
Examined and prodded
Sold as laborers
Between the 1400s and mid 1800s about 12 million were forcibly transported to the Americas

10. The Middle Colonies Better soil and growing season than New England
Farms produced bigger harvests
Grew wheat and other cash crops
New York and Philadelphia sold these crops and became busy ports
NY- 18,000 people Phily- 24,000 largest cities in the colonies

11. Industries in the Middle Colonies
Some home based- carpentry and flour making
Others larger- lumbering, mining, and small scale manufacturing
Iron mills
Many were German immigrants
100,000 Germans came to America during the colonial era
Most in Pennsylvania
Great diversity in the Middle Colonies
Germans, Dutch, Swedish, and other non-English

12. The Southern Colonies and Slavery
Good growing season and soil
Most settlers made their living from farming
Little commerce or industry
Tobacco was the principal cash crop of Maryland and Virginia
Most sold in Europe
Planters tried to use indentured servants
Too expensive and scarce
Began using enslaved Africans

13. Tobacco and Slavery Slaveholders grew wealthy from tobacco
Surplus sometimes made prices fall
This caused some farmers to grow other crops (corn and wheat)

14. South Carolina and Georgia
Main cash crop was rice
Created rice fields called paddies
Work was very hard
Standing knee deep in mud all day
Blazing sun
Biting insects
Relied on slave labor
Rice was even more profitable that tobacco
Rice became popular in Europe and price rose

15. Tidewater Most Southern plantations were located on the Tidewater
Flat, low-lying plains along the seacoast
Located on rivers so they could take crops to market by boats
Each plantation was a self-contained community
Planter’s wife supervised the house and house servants
Plantation included slave cabins, barns, and stables
Also blacksmith shops, storerooms, and kitchens
Maybe even a chapel and school

16. Backcountry Toward the Appalachian Mountains
Small farms- grew tobacco and corn
Worked alone or with their families
May have 1 or 2 slaves
Small farmers outnumbered the plantation owners
Plantation owners were very wealthy and had more influence
Plantation owners controlled economic and political life in the region

17. Slavery Most slaves lived on plantations
Most worked in fields and suffered great cruelty
Overseers kept slaves working hard
1705- Virginia created slave codes
Strict rules that governed the behavior and punishments of slaves
Couldn’t leave plantations without written permission
Could not meet in large groups
Allowed whipping slaves
For serious crimes, owners could hang or burn to death the slave
Slaves that ran away were punished severely

18. African Traditions Enslaved African families were torn apart
Turned to African roots
Some learned trades- carpentry, blacksmithing, or weaving
Some were able to buy their freedom

19. Criticism of Slavery Most white Southerners were NOT slaveholders
Some did not believe in slavery
Less support in Northern colonies
Puritans refused to own slaves
Quakers condemned slavery