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. .