New England, Middle and Southern Colonies
Each colony had its own unique characteristics, but historians put them into groups
based on where they were, why they were founded, and what kinds of industry they
had:
Motivations – why they came
By and large, the people who settled in the New England Colonies wanted to keep
their family unit together and practice their own religion. They were used to doing
many things themselves and not depending on other people for much. Some of these
people came to New England to make money, but they were not the majority.
The people who founded the Middle Colonies were looking to practice their own
religion (Pennsylvania mainly) or to make money. Many of these people didn't bring
their families with them from England and were the perfect workers for the hard
work required in ironworks and shipyards.
The founders of the Southern Colonies were, for the most part, out to make money.
They brought their families, as did the New England colonists, and they kept their
families together on the plantations. But their main motivation was to make the
good money that was available in the new American market.
Climate
The New England colonies were further north and had longer colder winters than
other colonies. This region had shorter summers and cold winters that were
sometimes difficult to survive.
The Middle Colonies had a mild climate with warm summers and mild winters.
The Southern Colonies were the warmest of the three regions, winters not difficult
to survive, but the hot and humid summers gave rise to the spread of disease. The
warm climate made it possible to grow crops throughout the year and was ideally
suited for plantations
Economy – how they made money
In the New England towns along the coast, the colonists made their living fishing,
whaling, and shipbuilding. Whale oil was a valuable resource as it could be used in
lamps. The soil in New England was full of large rocks. It was difficult to find large
plots of land that could be used for crops. Farming was difficult in New England for
crops like wheat because of the poor soil but corn, pumpkins, rye, squash and beans
were planted. The people made their own clothes and shoes. Boston was the major
New England port.
The Middle Colonies were part agriculture, part industrial. Wheat and other grains
grew on farms in Pennsylvania and New York. It has become known as the “bread
basket” because so much wheat was grown here. Factories in Maryland produced
iron, and factories in Pennsylvania produced paper and textiles. They traded goods
with other colonies and England.
The Southern Colonies were almost entirely agricultural. The main feature was the
plantation, a large plot of land that contained a great many acres of farmland and
buildings in which lived the people who owned the land and the people who worked
the land. The Southern Colonies had the largest slave population who worked on the
Slave Plantations. Plantations grew cotton, tobacco, indigo (a purple dye), and other
crops. Some of the Southern plantations were massive and consisted of the main
house, slave quarters, a dairy, blacksmith's shop, laundry, smokehouse and barns.
Crops were traded for items that could not be produced on the plantations including
farm tools, shoes, lace, and dishes.
Religion
New England: the religion practiced in New England was strictly Puritan and they
did not tolerate any other religions.
The Middle Colonies were not dominated by a single religion which led to some
religious freedom. There were Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, Jews and others in the
Middle regions and colonies.
There were predominantly Anglicans and Baptists in the Southern region and
Colonies.