Bellringer: D22 Recall the Middle Passage; pretend that you are a slave, given the chance to write a letter. How would you describe your experience, your feelings? Use an index card to write down your thoughts:

Ch. 4.1 Life in the Colonies, Part II U.S. History I Ch. 4.1 Life in the Colonies, Part II

Middle Colonies The Middle Colonies weren’t all that bad either. They had better soil, and certainly a milder climate than the New England area did. Thus, larger, commercial farming was successful there. In New York and Pennsylvania for example, they grew large amounts of crops to be sold, known as cash crops. Things like wheat, corn, oats, etc., that could be shipped overseas or to other colonies and make a nice profit. As a result of this increased shipping, the cities of New York and Philadelphia grew immensely, as they were easily accessible from the ocean. By the 1760s, New York and Philadelphia were the largest cities in the English colonies, with NY having 18,000, and Philadelphia having 24,000.

Industry in the Middle Colonies Just like New England, people engaged in other things besides shipping and farming. Some people worked out of their homes, like carpenters, or millers, who ground wheat into flour, etc. There were also larger businesses too, like lumber mills, iron mills, etc. One iron mill in New Jersey for example hired hundreds of workers, many of them recent immigrants to the United States. And many of those immigrants were German. Of the 100,000 German immigrants that came to America during the colonial era, most of them settled in Pennsylvania, drawn by promises of Religious Freedom, fertile land, etc. They were joined by Swedes, Dutch, and other non-English settlers, increasing the diversity of the English Colonies, and later America. VID

Southern Colonies: Virginia The Southern Colonies also had rich soil and a good climate for longer growing seasons. As the farming was so good there, most people didn’t bother with other industries, and focused on producing cash crops to make a living. They simply traded for anything else they might need. The main cash crop they developed in Maryland and Virginia was tobacco. It was a lot of work to grow, cultivate and harvest tobacco. It also required a LOT of work, so they first used indentured servants, but it later proved to be more profitable to use African slaves. VID As time passed, some people realized having just one crop might not be a good idea, so they also cultivated corn, wheat, and other crops.

Another Cash Crop: Rice Plantations were common in the tidewater regions, which are flat, low-lying plains nearby the coasts. These large farms were basically self-sufficient communities. In these areas, planters could create dams and flood fields. These are ideal conditions for rice cultivation. However, it was hard work, standing in the fields all day knee-deep in water. Slaves were also employed to do this back-breaking work. Rice actually ended up being more profitable than tobacco, and by the 1750s, Georgia and South Carolina were the fastest growing economies in the colonies. Meanwhile, the nearby mountains and hills further from the coast are known as the Appalachian Mountains. This area is known as the back-country. The folks that lived there had smaller farms, mostly subsistence farming. Thus, the wealthier plantation owners had more money and political power.

Slavery in the South Most of the slaves on the English colonies had hard lives, spent working in the many fields that surrounded their owners’ plantations. By the early 1700s, most of these colonies had harsh slave codes that governed how the slaves could be treated, etc. In spite of these harsh living conditions, Africans managed to hold on to many of their traditions, despite families being ripped apart, etc. They kept their music, and artwork alive as best they could, to hold onto their heritage. The issue of slavery was always a hot topic in the colonies. The Northern colonies, full of Quakers, Puritans, etc., were very much against slavery. Eventually, it would be a leading factor and cause of the American Civil War.

HW: Read the Slave Code Primary Resource, and answer the questions Get together as partners and complete the PBL Part I Colonial Apprenticeship. You may do this alone or as partners!