1. 13 Colonies: Impact of the Physical Environment on Society
Level 1
13 Colonies: Impact of the Physical Environment on Society

2. Vocabulary Environment: natural world that surround people
Corduroy Road: road that are made out of logs
Terrain: land
Port: a place where ships load and unload goods
Natural Resources: any item that comes from nature for example, water and trees

3. Essential Question
How did the physical environment affect colonial life?

4. Impact of Physical Environment on Travel
Ship or boat was the fastest
Terrain was hard to travel by horse or by foot
Travel by land was slow and dangerous.
Roads were usually narrow trails through forests or corduroy roads
Bridges were created to help pass over streams and rivers.
Corduroy Road being built

5. Impact of Physical Environment on Communication
Letters from England took about 3 months to
In 1673 a monthly postal route between New York and Boston was created.
In 1710 Parliament passed the Post Office Act which created a postal system in the American colonies.
Benjamin Franklin of Philadelphia and William Hunter of VA became postmaster generals for the colonies in 1753.
Shortened time of mail service by shortening routes and making them more direct between Philadelphia and NY
Most colonists got news by word of mouth.
Newspapers were available but were not common until the mid 1700s.
It was common for a town crier to read news to groups in town.

6. Impact of Physical Environment on Settlements
Settlements created around ocean ports, river systems and lakes
Water provided travel, trade and communication.
A riverside settlement was easier to defend.
Land around water was better for farming.

7. Impact of Physical Environment on Resources
Settlers used the natural resources that were available to them near their settlements.
At first the settlers used European designs like roofs made of thatch (reeds and straw) but changed to the use of wood because it was plentiful.
Water was full of fish and forests were full of game.
The soil in the middle and southern colonies were fertile.

8. Review Questions
How did the environment affect travel in the colonies?
How did the environment affect communication in the colonies?
How did the environment affect settlements in the colonies?
How did the environment affect resources available for the colonies?