Ch5-1: The English Colonies – Geography of the Colonies (pp. 158-163)

English settlers 1600s-1700s
o
settle East Coast
o
future 13 colonies
New France

Geography of East Coast (N-S)
o
New France (Canada)
o
New England
o
Middle Colonies
o
Southern Colonies
o
New Spain
New England
Colonies
Appalachian Mtns
& “backcountry”
Southern Colonies
New Spain
Colonies separated by climate and geography

New England Colonies
o
Land

shaped by glaciers


o
o

Rich top soil pushed south; farming difficult
Forests & mountains
Climate

Growing season short (May-Oct)
Economy

Wood – buildings & ships

Ocean – fishing / whaling
Middle Colonies
o
o
Land

glaciers left top soil from New England

Rich, fertile soil
Climate

Middle Colonies
Medium length growing season

o

Plentiful rain

Farming

Transportation & trade

wildlife
Economy

Farming

Fur
Southern Colonies
o
Land

Tidewater to “fall line”


o
o
Network of waterways
Rich, fertile soil
Climate

Long growing season

Plentiful rain
Economy

Farming – cash crops
ESSENTIAL LEARNING POINTS:
1. Who established the thirteen colonies?
2. In which two centuries were the colonies established and populated?
3. What are the two things that separate the colonies into regions?
4. How do the soil types of the three regions differ?
5. How do the climates differ between the colonial regions?
6. How did geography shape the economies of each region?