New England, Middle, Southern

Characteristics of the Colonies

1620 Pilgrims landed in Plymouth - Puritans: settlers seeking freedom from religious persecution Mayflower Compact 1. Developed “covenant

communities”2. Said government would frame

“equal and adjust laws”3. Important formation of the

American Government4. New England settlers practiced

democracy in town meetings

Used town meetings (an “Athenian” direct democracy model) in the operation of government.

New England - Political

Based on:1. Shipbuilding2. Fishing3. Lumbering 4. Small-scale

subsistence farming 5. Eventually…

Manufacturing

New England – Economic

Based on religious standingPuritans were intolerant of dissenters who

challenged the their belief in the connection between religion and government

Rhode Island was founded by dissenters fleeing persecution by Puritans in Massachusetts

New England – Social

The Middle region was settled by English, Dutch, and German-speaking immigrants seeking religious freedom and economic opportunity

Incorporated a number of democratic principles that reflected the basic rights of Englishmen

Middle Colonies – Political

Based on:1. Shipbuilding2. Small-scale farming 3. Trading

Cities such as New York and Philadelphia began to grow as seaports and commercial centers.

Middle Colonies – Economic

Home to multiple religious groups, including Quakers in Pennsylvania, Huguenots and Jews in New York, and Presbyterians in New York, who generally believed in religious tolerance

Developed middle class skills – artisans, entrepreneurs (business owners) and small farmers

Middle Colonies– Social

Early Virginia settlers were called “cavaliers,” English nobility who received large land grants in eastern Virginia from the King in England.

Continued to have strong ties with Britain, with planters playing leading roles in representative colonial legislatures

House of Burgesses – 1640s, first elected assembly in the New World (Today, known as the General Assembly of Virginia)

Southern Colonies – Political

Based on:1. “cash crops” – Tobacco, rice and indigo (coastal

lowlands on large plantations)2. Small-scale subsistence farming, hunting and

trading (inland- mountains and valleys of the Appalachian)

Private ownership of property and free enterprise characterized colonial life.

Southern – Economic

The growth of the agricultural economy in the Southern colonies and in the Caribbean led to slavery in the New World. The first Africans were brought to Jamestown in 1619 to work at tobacco plantations.

Southern - Economic

Based on:1. Family status and the ownership of land - Landowners were usually members of the

Church of England2. Small subsistence farmers3. Hunters4. Traders of Scots-Irish and English descent

Southern – Social

Religious movement of both Europe and the colonies during the mid-1700s.

Led to the growth of religions like, Methodists and Baptists as well as challenging the established religious and governmental order

Was a foundation for the American Revolution

“Great Awakening”

With the growth of agriculture, Southern colonies were in need of cheap labor

Less fortunate people from England, Scotland or Ireland agreed to work on plantations for a period of time in return for their passage from Europe or relief of debt

Eventually, labor was filled with Africans who were forced into work, however, some Africans worked as indentured servants and earned their freedom (lived freely during the Colonial Era)

Overtime the numbers grew of enslaved Africans in the Southern colonies (the “Middle Passage”)

Slavery led to the conflict between the North and South and the American Civil War

Indentured Servants