_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Social Studies: Review and Social Hierarchy in the Colonies
SS6.U3.CW12
Do Now:
PART ONE: Use your knowledge of social hierarchy in the colonies to answer the questions below.
1) Which social group had no rights regardless of what class they were in?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Indentured Servants
Enslaved Africans
Women
Merchants and Farmers
2) What type of rights did the ruling class have?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3) Which social class was at the bottom of the social hierarchy triangle?
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
What is social hierarchy?
A.
B.
C.
D.
The way a group of people are divided
The top to bottom social structure of a culture
The higher area of some geography.
The organization of the causes of the revolution
PART TWO: What were the causes of the revolution? (Include three causes for your details
in your RADAR paragraph.)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
The Geography, Resources and Economy of the New England Colonies
Step One: Background information
New England Colonies
The New England colonies are made up of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode
Island, which is the smallest. The soil in New England is very rocky. Much of the land in the New
England colonies is along the Atlantic coast. The coastline had a lot of clean water and many inlets,
harbors and peninsulas. The harbors and rivers created a natural way to get inland. There were many
dense forests in the area as well. The winters in New England were very cold and killed off germs
and insects that caused diseases. However, the summers were mild with gentle rains.
Step Two: Make a Prediction
Based on the information about the geography and resources in New England, what type of economy (jobs) do
you think they had in the New England colonies?
Step Three: Research
Read about the actual ways that the geography and resources of New England created its economy.
Step Four: Analyze your prediction
Was your prediction correct? Explain.
How did the geography and resources in the area impact the economy of New England?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
The Geography, Resources and Economy of the Middle Colonies
Step One: Background information
Middle Colonies
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware make up the Middle colonies. The soil in the
Middle Colonies was very fertile. It had many nutrients in it and many minerals as well. The minerals
included coal, iron and copper. The region was also very forested and plenty of animals in the forests.
Rivers ran through the land to the coast and often created valleys. The winters in the middle colonies
could be pretty cold, but the summers were hot, humid, and long.
Step Two: Make a Prediction
Based on the information about the geography and resources in Middle Colonies, what type of economy (jobs)
do you think they had in the Middle colonies?
Step Three: Research
Read about the actual ways that the geography and resources of the Middle Colonies created its economy.
Step Four: Analyze your prediction
Was your prediction correct? Explain.
How did the geography and resources in the area impact the economy of the Middle Colonies?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
The Geography, Resources and Economy of the Southern Colonies
Step One: Background information
Southern Colonies
The Southern colonies were made of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and
Delaware. The soil in the area was incredibly rich with many nutrients in it. The area also had many
wide rivers flowing through the land. The climate was gentle and mild in the winter, and very hot and
steamy in the summer. Plus, parts of the Southern Colonies were very swampy. Unfortunately, this
led to many diseases and mosquitoes to spread them.
Step Two: Make a Prediction
Based on the information about the geography and resources in Southern Colonies, what type of economy
(jobs) do you think they had in the Southern colonies?
Step Three: Research
Read about the actual ways that the geography and resources of the Southern Colonies created its economy.
Step Four: Analyze your prediction
Was your prediction correct? Explain.
How did the geography and resources in the area impact the economy of the Southern Colonies?
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
New England
The New England colonies’ rocky soil was not ideal for farming but colonists along the coast and
rivers could grow enough to survive. Timber was everywhere in the northern colonies. It became the
major export to England in the form of shingles and ship timber. Timber also allowed the colonists to
develop a shipbuilding industry. Since they had shipbuilding, they also had a large fishing industry.
Whaling and cod fisheries became an important way of life for the northern colonists.
The New England coastline was also ideal for harbors, a place for ships to dock and unload goods.
Many colonists became merchants and took part in the trading business that grew as a result of the
harbors. Since the coastline was so important to the New England economy, villages and towns
formed along the waterfronts with few farms surrounding the communities.
Middle Colonies
The rich, fertile soil of the Middle colonies quickly proved profitable for it settlers. The region soon
became a large exporter of grain, especially wheat, to England, and also became know as the
“Bread” colonies. The rivers throughout the region provided ideal conditions for mills to grind the
grain. The river valleys had rich soil, which helped the growing season. The rivers also served as a
great form of transportation.
Another key industry in the Middle colonies was shipbuilding because of the large amount of timber in
the region. The Middle colonies didn’t build as many ships as the New England colonies, but it was
still an important industry.
Finally, the Middle colonies had many natural resources like copper, coal and iron. These resources
were not found in the other colonies, so mining became a very profitable industry as well.
Southern Colonies
The Southern Colonies are composed of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The Southern
colonies had fertile soil and long, navigable rivers. This led to the development of large plantations
spread throughout the eastern part of the colonies. Tobacco quickly became the cash crop for the
colonies, from which England benefited. Plantations were spread far apart along the rivers, so very
few towns arose in this region.
Almost all farmers (even small farmers) used slave and indentured servant labor to work the fields.
However, in Georgia most plantations were worked by debtors (people who owe money). Other cash
crops for the colonies included sugar cane, cotton, rice and indigo, which grew well in the sandy soil
and subtropical climate along the coast. Slaves were also considered another cash crop. Many
people made a lot of money in the slave trade. In addition, North Carolina exported things like tar and
turpentine to England, which were used on ships.