Five colonies that make up the south are: – Maryland – Virginia – North Carolina – South Carolina – Georgia Share a coastal area called the tidewater which was a flat lowland that includes many swampy areas Warm and humid – Long growing season

New settlers continued to come from Europe Native American population shrank Farmers took over more land to plant tobacco – Wealthy planters bought up most of the good farmland on the coast – left no farmland for poorer colonists who wanted to start their own farms – Poor farmers moved inland to the frontier to find good farmland

Fights with Native Americans broke out on frontier as farmers moved out there Farmers demanded the governor take strong measures against the Native Americans – Governor hesitated, wanted to avoid conflict Nathaniel Bacon became leader of frontier settlers – Organized a force of 1000 westerners and began attacking and killing Native Americans – Governor declared them all rebels – Bacon reacted by attacking Jamestown and burning it to the ground – Bacon’s Rebellion

1632 King Charles I granted charter to George Calvert who was an English Catholic Set up colony so Catholics can live safely First settlers were Catholics and Protestants Grew tobacco and harvested sea life When Calvert died his son Cecil (Lord Baltimore) became proprietor. Proprietor: owner of a business or a colony

Representative government similar to House of Burgesses Tension between Catholics and Protestants Fearing Catholics would lose rights Lord Baltimore got assembly to pass Act of Toleration in 1649 – Welcomed all Christians and gave adult male Christians right to vote and hold office

1663 King Charles II granted charter for colony to be called Carolina Northern part developed slowly – Lacked harbors and rivers for ships to travel easily – Settlers lived on small farms raising and exporting tobacco

Southern part grew more quickly – Grew sugar– great in swampy lowlands – Many planters came from Barbados, brought enslaved people to grow the sugar Slave labor Slave labor used to grow rice – Most important crop

Rice production spread Carolina’s main city Charles Town (today’s Charleston) became biggest city in the Southern Colonies Carolina became two colonies: – North Carolina – South Carolina

Last of England’s 13 colonies to be formed Founded for two reasons: – Keep Spanish in Florida – Wealthy Englishmen led by James Oglethorpe wanted a colony where there would be protection for English debtors English government could imprison debtors until they paid what they owed Wanted colony of small farms, not plantations

Tidewater Region – Most important feature Plantation: large farm Hot area where crops like cotton, sugar, and rice are grown – Economy dominated by plantations in tidewater region – Rice farming on coast helped promote spread of slavery, required large numbers of workers

The Backcountry – Cut off from the coast by poor roads and long distances – Families lived on isolated farms – Few families had servants or slaves to help them with work – People cared less about rank – Life was a sharp contrast to that on the coast