ENGLISH COLONIES
CHAPTER 3
NEW ENGLAND COLONIES
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Colonies –MA PLYMOUTH, MA BAY, NH, CT, RI
Climate/Geography –
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Religion –
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bitterly cold winters and mild summers; SHORT GROWING SEASONS!
Land was flat close to the coastline but became hilly and mountainous farther inland.
Soil was generally rocky, making farming difficult.
Cold winters reduced the spread of disease.
dominated by the Puritans, reformers seeking to “purify” Christianity, who came
over from England to practice religion without persecution.
strict rules & intolerant of other religions, eventually absorbing the separatist
Pilgrims in Massachusetts by 1629.
Life = dominated by church; severe consequences for those who failed to attend, or,
those who spoke out against the Puritan ways.
Singing and celebrating holidays were among things prohibited in Puritan New
England. (Note – any religious day would also include a fasting.
Hmmm…Thanksgiving: myth or truth?)
Economy –
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largely dependent on the ocean
Fishing (especially codfish) whaling, trapping, shipbuilding, and logging were
important also
“triangular trade” - shippers = wealthy buying slaves from West Africa in return for
rum, and selling the slaves to the West Indies in return for molasses.
MASSACHUSETTS
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• Settlers: first by Pilgrims led by William
Bradford; later by Puritans led by John
Winthrop
• Reasons for settlement: to escape religious
persecution
• Climate and geography: harsh winters and
warm summers; rich pastures and forests
• Economy: crop and livestock farming,
lumbering
• Religion: Puritan
• Government: self-governing, as described in the
Mayflower Compact
RHODE ISLAND
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Settlers: former Puritans from Massachusetts
led by Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson
• Reasons for settlement: religious freedom from
the Puritans
• Climate and geography: humid summers and
cold winters; coastal lowlands and rocky
woodlands
• Economy: farming, lumbering, shipbuilding,
fishing, whaling
• Religion: various faiths
• Government: self-governing
CONNECTICUT
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Settlers: Former Massachusetts Puritans led by
Thomas Hooker
• Reasons for settlement: to establish a new
settlement apart from Massachusetts Puritans
Climate and geography: cold winters and mild
summers; forested hills and seacoast
• Economy: farming, shipbuilding, fishing,
whaling
• Religion: Puritan
• Government: self-governing, with written
constitution
MIDDLE COLONIES
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Colonies- NY, NJ, DE, PA
Climate/Geography –
 Mid-Atlantic region temperate in climate with warm summers and cold winters.
Geography = coastal plains along the coastline, piedmont (rolling hills) in the
middle, and mountains farther inland.
 good coastal harbors for shipping.
 Climate and land were ideal for agriculture.
 These colonies were known as the “breadbasket” (barley, wheat, oats, and rye)
Religion –
 varied
 Religious tolerance attracted immigrants from a wide-range of foreign countries
who practiced many different religions.
 Quakers, Catholics, Jews, Lutherans and Presbyterians
Economy –
 TRADE! successful and diverse economy.
 Largely agricultural (most notably grains and oats)
 Logging, shipbuilding, textiles production, and papermaking
 Big cities such as Philadelphia and New York = major shipping hubs,
 craftsmen such as blacksmiths, silversmiths, cobblers, wheelwrights, wigmakers,
milliners, and others contributed to the economies of such cities.
NEW YORK
 Settlers: Dutch and English
 • Reasons for settlement: to make money
 • Climate and geography: cold winters and hot
 summers; wetlands and forested mountains
 • Religion: various faiths
 • Government: British-appointed governor and
 council; eventually an elected assembly
 *New Jersey = similar path
PENNSYLVANIA
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Settlers: English Quakers led by William Penn
• Reasons for settlement: to safely practice their
religion
• Climate and geography: cold winters and hot
summers; rolling hills and fertile soil
• Economy: farming, trade, lumbering, and
shipbuilding
• Religion: various faiths
• Government: elected assembly
*Delaware similar path; more trade
SOUTHERN COLONIES
 Colonies- MD, VA, NC, SC, GA
 Climate/Geography –
 warm climate with hot summers and mild winters. Geography = coastal
plains (east) to piedmont (farther inland), mountainous (west).
 The soil = perfect for farming LONG GROWING SEASON
 Hot summers, = spread diseases (i.e. malaria and yellow fever)
 Religion –
 Most = Anglican (Baptist or Presbyterian),
 most original from Maryland = Catholic, (Lord Baltimore founded as
refuge for English Catholics).
 Religion not same impact ; plantations = often spread out from one
another
 Economy –
 AGRARIAN - almost entirely based on farming large plantations .
 Rice, indigo, tobacco, sugarcane, and cotton = cash crops.
 slaves and indentured servants worked the land.
MARYLAND
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Settlers: English Catholics and Protestants
• Reasons for settlement: to find religious and
political freedom
• Climate and geography: cold winters, hot
summers; low, fertile land surrounding
Chesapeake Bay
• Economy: farming, lumbering, shipping,
fishing, iron mining
• Religion: various faiths, particularly Catholic
• Government: elected assembly
VIRGINIA
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Settlers: English landowners and skilled
laborers
• Reasons for settlement: to make a profit
• Climate and geography: mild winters and
hot summers; coastal lowlands and wooded
mountains
• Economy: farming
• Religion: Church of England
• Government: elected assembly (House of
Burgesses)
GEORGIA
 Settlers: debtors from English prisons, and
 other Europeans
 • Reasons for settlement: to find religious
freedom
 and cheap land
 • Climate and geography: mild winters and hot
 summers; wetlands and forested mountains
 • Religion: various faiths
 • Government: ruled by James Oglethorpe for
 12 years, then an elected assembly