Binder Page 25 Name ______Period ______13 English Colonies- The Southern Colonies Date ______
Review Questions: The most important New England colony was Massachusetts. The most important two Middle Colonies were New York and Pennsylvania. The Southern Colonies
The border between Maryland and Pennsylvania became known as the Mason-Dixon Line and still is the unofficial border between “the North” and “the South.”
Maryland- Colony founded by Lord Baltimore as a place where Catholics could practice their religion freely. The Act of Toleration was passed in 1649 and allowed religious freedom for all Christians in the colony.
Virginia- Colony that developed from the first permanent English settlement, Jamestown. The colony eventually grew to be one of the richest and most important of the 13 Colonies.
The Carolinas were originally one colony, but there were differences between the settlers. Settlers in the north tended to be poorer tobacco farmers who had few slaves. The south was controlled by rich plantation owners. In 1712, the colony was officially divided into North Carolina and South Carolina.
Georgia- was the last English colony to be founded, in 1732. Its founder, James Oglethorpe, wanted this colony to be a place where people who had been jailed for debt could find a new start. It also became a buffer to help block attacks from the Spanish and the Indians from Florida.
Vocabulary for the Southern Colonies
1. Tidewater- Area of the Southern Colonies located in the coastal plains along the Atlantic Ocean. This area is where most of the plantations were located and where most of the slaves were. 2. Backcountry- Area along the eastern slopes of the Appalachian Mountains. This area was more “democratic” than the Tidewater because people were more equal, economically. Nearly everyone was a small farmer, so you didn’t have the very rich plantation owners or the very poor slaves.
3. Slave codes- Laws that controlled the behavior of slaves and denied them basic rights. 4. Gentry- Highest social class in the 13 English colonies.
5. Indentured servant- Person who signed a contract to work for a certain length of time (often seven years) in exchange for passage to the colonies.
The environment (Geography) was a large influence on the culture and economy of each of the regions of the colonies.
New England Middle Southern Backcountry (Tidewater)
Climate Long, cold Shorter winters Nearly Varied winters; Short Longer growing year-round growing season. seasons growing season.
Resources Rocky soil; Fertile soil Fertile soil. Woods, Trees, ocean streams
People Diverse English & Scotch-Irish, English settlers population enslaved Native Africans Americans
Economic Small Farms Larger farms. Plantation Small farms Development Fishing Cash crops = economy (i.e. adaptation) Trading etc grains.