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Colonial America: Geography of the 13 colonies

Objective Describe the geography of the original 13 colonies of the United States

Map 1: Location of the colonies relative to England

1.   Notice where England (aka United Kingdom or Great Britain) is located on this map. Why do you think

the 13 original British colonies of the United States were settled on the east coast of North America?

2.   PREDICT: What two European countries are most likely to go to war over colonial possessions in the Western Hemisphere?

Map 2: Original 13 Colonies - Accessed from: Enchanted Learning

1.   According to this image, which ocean were the colonies closest to? Why might access to this ocean be important to the economy and sustainability [ability to last / be maintained for a long period of time] of the colonies?

2) Label & Color code the original 13 colonies in the table below and on the map above. NEW

ENGLAND

MIDDLE

SOUTHERN

Map 3: Political map of North America in 1766 - Accessed from: Revive the Spirit

1.   How many different geographical regions or groups were the colonies divided into? What was the name of each region?

2.   Which geographic region seems to have the most land? Which region has the least amount of land?

3.   Why do you think the 13 original colonies didn’t extend too far west into the North American continent?

Close Read: Economies of Colonial America

CR Objective

What made the economies of the northern, southern, and middle colonies different?

CR Introduction

Colonists settling in the British colonies of North America were developing economies from scratch. They harvested the natural resources of the environment, and then created economic output from these natural resources.

Brain Dump: Economy & the Environment. Prior to analyzing the economies of the 13 colonies, answer the three pre-analysis questions below.

Pre-Analysis Questions If you wanted to be a fisherman, would you move to the desert in Arizona? Why or why not?

If you wanted to be a dairy farmer, would you live in New York City? Why or why not?

How can your environment impact what you do?

Analysis of the Economies of the 13 Colonies Following this map is a series of graphs that indicate the exports [goods that are produced to sell for a profit] of the 13 colonies from 1768 – 1777. The three graphs represent the three distinct colonial regions: northern colonies, middle colonies, southern colonies.

1.   Complete the geographical context activity listed below the map. 2.   View each graph and read the explanations carefully. Use the information in the graphs and the

explanations to answer the analysis questions that follow.

Geographical Context: Label the three colonial regions on this map, using the information in the table below.

Northern Colonies:

1.   Massachusetts 2.   Rhode Island 3.   Connecticut 4.   New Hampshire

Middle Colonies:

1.   New York 2.   New Jersey 3.   Pennsylvania 4.   Delaware

Southern Colonies:

1.   Maryland 2.   Virginia 3.   North Carolina 4.   South Carolina 5.   Georgia

Fig 1a: Northern Colonies / New England had a short growing season and rocky soil; this was not ideal for growing and exporting cash crops (something that is grown and harvested for the sole purpose of selling it to make a profit - not for the consumption of the farmer). Colonists took advantage of other opportunities in the region, especially fishing and whaling in the bays, inlets, rivers and oceans that dominated their lands. The building and manufacturing of ships to support the fishing industry became a major part of the economy of the Northern economy. Northern colonists also built small factories that would support the processing and manufacturing of fish and whale oil. Also, many Northern Colonies turned to the manufacturing of sugar from the Caribbean into rum, as well as fur / leathers goods from the natural wildlife of the Northern Colonies or Canadian traders; all of which could be exported to Europe for a profit.

Fig 1b: The longer growing season of the Middle Colonies, more even land and less rock soil, in combination with milder winters (as compared to the Northern Colonies) allowed farmers to grow and cultivate fields of various grains. Grains were the cash crop that earned the Middle Colonies the nickname of the “breadbasket colonies”, as among the three colonial regions, they grew the highest percentage of grains. Further supporting the economy of the middle colonies was the manufacturing of goods in industrial centers such as New York City and Philadelphia.  

Fig 1c: Southern Colonies had a nearly year-round growing season as a result of warmer winters and humid summers allowing them to grow tobacco and rice, both of which thrive in warmer, more humid, climates. Tobacco and rice were the most profitable exports of all the cash crops grown in the 13 colonies between 1768 and 1777. Of their sum total of exports, nearly 88% of all Southern Colonies exports were agricultural (tobacco, rice, grains, and indigo).

Source: James F Sheppard and Gary M Walton Shipping, Maritime trade and the Economic development of colonial North America (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1972).

Analysis Questions

1.   According to figures 1a, 1b, and 1c, how does the environment and geography impact the ability of colonies to produce cash crops?

2.   Which region had the highest percentage of economic activity devoted to shipbuilding? How did the geography and environment of this region contribute to or support the ability of this region to develop economic practices around shipbuilding?

3.   Which colonial region’s exports were mostly made up of grains? What percentage of their exports were grains? Why was their environment suitable for growing grains in comparison to the other two regions?

4.   Which region was able to export the two most profitable cash crops? Why was the environment of that region suitable for exporting those cash crops?

5.   Which region had the highest percentage of exports that were agricultural in nature? Keeping in mind that this region has a high percentage of agricultural exports, which word do you think would best describe this region: rural or urban? Why?

6.   Which region had the highest percentage of exports that were manufactured goods? Cite evidence from at least one specific figure to support your claims.

CR Analysis

Task

Economies of the Colonies: Geography & the Environment

Directions: Using information from the documents, you will now write a short essay responding to the task with regards to the figures of Colonial American exports in the document provided above. Task: Using the information from the documents above, and your knowledge of US History complete the following writing prompt: In two paragraphs:

•   Compare and contrast the impact of geography and environment on the economic activity of the 3 distinct colonial regions.  

•   Explain how the geography and environment shaped the economic activity of a region. In  developing  your  answer  be  sure  to  keep  these  general  definitions  in  mind:

•   Compare and contrast means “to express similarities and differences”  •   Explain means to “to make plain or understandable; to give reasons for or causes of; to show the

logical development or relationships of”