Comparing English Colony Regions

Environment, Economy, Society, Politics, and Conflict

Textbook Reference: Ch.4

Get Focused

• Focus Question:• How were the English colony settlements unique?

• I Can…• I can describe the economies, politics, societies and

environments of the colony regions • I can describe the different forms of conflict within

the colonies and explain how it impacted them

New EnglandMassachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire

New EnglandEnvironment and Economy

• The soil was too thin and rocky and the climate too harsh for the colonists to grow cash crops.

• They turned to fishing, whaling, lumbering, fur trading, ship building, small scale farming, and metal working to nourish their economy. These items were sold to other colonies and to England.

• New England colonies also participated in the selling of slaves to the southern colonies.

• Many people lived in villages with a common area

New EnglandSociety

• The first colonists were Separatist Pilgrims and reform-minded Puritans.

• They settled in New England to gain religious freedom. The religious freedom they sought was not readily granted to others outside their faith.

• Religious Tolerance- Connecticut and Rhode Island offered freedom that was not available in Massachusetts.

• Yankee- A nickname for New England merchants who were known for being excellent traders

New EnglandPolitics

• Town Meetings- Colonists discussed important decisions, this encouraged the growth of democracy

• Sabbath- Observation of this day was not only religious, but it was the law.

• Legislative bodies- Law passing, elected groups• General Court- Elected, church-going

assemblymen in Massachusetts• Fundamental Orders of Connecticut- voting for

property owners.

Middle ColoniesPennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware

Middle ColoniesEnvironment and Economy

• Land was more fertile than in New England and promoted farming of cash crops: a crop that you can sell for $$$ at the market- corn/wheat/fruit.

• An abundance of rivers allowed for transportation of goods for trade between the colonies.

• Mills to grind grains and iron production developed and supported local economies.

• Skilled artisans produced goods• The first colonists were Dutch and settled at the mouth of

the Hudson River. Their goal was to farm in order to make money.

Middle ColoniesSociety

• When the English took "New Amsterdam" from the Dutch, they called it New York.

• Quakers seeking religious freedom settled Pennsylvania.

• Pennsylvania Dutch- German speaking Protestants settled central Pennsylvania

• This area was also the most ethnically diverse.• William Penn established a “Policy of Fairness”-

welcoming all persecuted groups and treating the Native Americans fairly. It works for a while…

Middle ColoniesPolitics

• Proprietary colony- King gave the rights to govern to a few trusted people.

• Royal colony- The King makes the rules• Elected Assemblies- Representing the

colonists• Settlers moving into Native American lands

was a primary concern for local officials• Counties were the center of society

Southern ColoniesMaryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia

Southern Colonies Environment and Economy

• Rich soil, warm weather, long growing season• Tobacco, indigo, and rice became the major

cash crops of the southern colonies. These cash crops were grown on large plantations of land that needed large numbers of workers. Indentured servants were first used. As their numbers dwindled, slaves were used. A small number of people owned large amounts of land that was given to them just for showing up.

Southern ColoniesSociety

• Religious toleration for some Christians (Maryland)• Settlers from the Caribbean and England• Indentured servants and slaves• Tidewater Plantations and Backcountry farmers• Spread of slavery brings population growth• Slave codes- laws developed over time to control

the lives of slaves• Debtor- people who owed money in England

settled in the colonies for a chance at a new life

Southern ColoniesPolitics

• Elected assemblies made up of land owning colonists

• Act of Toleration- religious freedom in Maryland

• Conflicts over land and opportunity between colonists.

• Mason-Dixon Line- divided Middle and Southern colonies

Conflict

• King Philip’s(Metacom) War 1675-78- War between Puritan colonists and Native Americans. The result of colonist expansion onto Native American land.

• Bacon’s Rebellion1676- colonists immigrated to Virginia, attacked and killed Native Americans, and attacked Jamestown in protest in order to gain access to Indian lands.

Conflict

• Powhatan Uprising of 1622- Opechancanough leads the Powhatan in an attempt to drive the English settlers out of Virginia. The result is another decade of bloodshed between the two groups.

• Religious conflict in Massachusetts- Thomas Hooker, Roger Williams, Anne Hutchinson

Powhatan Uprising of 1622

Smith and Opechancanough

King Phillip’s War