Life in the Colonies Section One

A) Making a Living in the Colonies Between 1607 and 1775, almost one million settlers came to the English colonies from Europe and Africa.

The English Colonies

New England Colonies The New England colonies thrived as most people remained healthy living in organized towns, had representative governments, and suitable farmland.

Subsistence Farming Most farmers in New England were subsistence farmers due to the harsh winters and subpar soil. Subsistence farming means they grew just enough to feed their own families.

New England Winters

Ship Building

Ship Building Shipbuilding would become one of the most important industries, along with other mills and factories. The mills and factories used the power of running water to operate.

Whaling Fishing and whaling were also very important to the people in the New England colonies.

Triangle Trade

“Middle Passage”

These New England ships began the Triangle Trade routes as they went from the West Indies to America to England to Africa and back to the West Indies. This route included the horrible journey of African slaves to America known as the Middle Passage.

Middle Colonies

Wheat Farming The Middle colonies had fertile soil and grew wheat and other cash crops, crops grown for sale. The nickname of the middle colonies was the bread basket.

New York City

Philadelphia The towns of New York and Philadelphia became thriving trading settlements.

German Immigrants German immigrants moved into these colonies in large numbers making them very diverse colonies. New York City is still one of the most diverse cities in the United States today.

Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia Southern Colonies Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia

Southern Colonies The extremely fertile soil and climate of the Southern colonies helped create huge plantations and a farming economy. There was very little industry in the South.

Slave Plantations

Tobacco & Rice Tobacco and rice were the main cash crops for the Southern colonies. They needed huge numbers of slaves to work the fields.

Tidewater The tidewater region had the most plantations with the best soil usually located along rivers. These were the richest regions in the South with the largest number of slaves.

Tidewater

Tidewater Plantations

“Backcountry” The backcountry region had the fewest plantations due to the poorer soil and was the poorest region in the south. Most farms were smaller in size and run be large families.

Backcountry

Backcountry Homes

B) The Growth of Slavery

Slavery = Peculiar Institution By the early 1700’s, slavery was an accepted and necessary part of the Southern colonies. Slave codes were created to control the slave population.

Overseers Overseers managed the slaves for the planter and assigned the tasks and punishments. Slaves were given quotas to fill as they went out into the fields.

Slave Culture Many African traditions survived during slavery, although many were also put down by the planters/overseers. African slaves depended on extended families, religion, and music to help them through their harsh lives. Eventually, the more religious Northern colonies began to condemn slavery – causing trouble between the North and the South.