Essential Maps (Unit 2)
The American ColoniesThis map illustrates the division of the British colonies into four distinct regions - New England, Middle, Chesapeake and Lower South colonies.
The colonies developed regional patterns of social, political and economic behavior that presented challenges to the new American nation. |
New England ColoniesDuring the Ice Age, large glaciers scraped away all the fertile soil, and moved it south to the Middle Colonies. This left a rocky landscape that made farming difficult. In addition, there was a short growing season, meant that farmers usually only grew enough crops to feel their own family.
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Middle Colonies
Glaciers from the North brought fertile soil from New England to the Middle Colonies. In addition, because they were farther south, the growing season was much longer with lots of sunlight and rain. This made the Middle Colonies ideal for farming.
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Tobacco was the mainstay of the Virginia and Maryland economies. Plantations were established by riverbanks for the good soil and to ensure ease of transportation. Because wealthy planters built their own wharves on the Chesapeake to ship their crop to England, town development was slow. To cultivate tobacco, planters brought in large numbers of English workers, mostly young men who came as indentured servants. More than 110,000 had arrived in the Chesapeake region by 1700.
Chesapeake Colonies
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The Lower South
The southern colonies were an ideal place for agriculture. The tidewater left minerals on the tideland, which made the soil fertile. The southern colonies were farther south, which meant the growing season was longer.
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