The 13 Colonies and Colonial Life

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The 13 Colonies and Colonial Life
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The New England Colonies
Can you find Boston and the Erie Canal on your
map?
Massachusetts (Maine)
New Hampshire
Massachusetts
Connecticut
Rhode Island
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New England Colonies Video
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Climate

• Summers were warm, but short
• Winters were long and frigidly cold
• Very short growing season
• Soil and weather made farming very difficult

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Land Features

• hilly terrain with mountains and valleys
• thin and rocky soil
• jagged coastlines

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Resources

• Forests with an abundance
• of wood
• Used wood to create ships and
• buildings
• Access to fish and whales-used for food and other
  products
• Shipped fish and lumber to Africa and Europe
• Received spices and tea for imports
• Formed a triangular trade

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Middle Colonies

• The Middle colonies included
• New York (NY) , New Jersey (NJ) , Delaware (DE),
• and Pennsylvania (PA).

NY
PA
NJ
DE
Can you find New York City and Philadelphia on
your map?
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Middle Colonies Video
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Climate

• More balanced summers and winters
• Longer growing season
• Soil was very fertile
• Sunny days and plenty of rainy days to feed crops

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Land Features

• Rolling hills and valleys
• Wide rivers like the Delaware and the Hudson were
  perfect to transport crops and receive farm
  supplies

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Resources

• Forests rich with wildlife
• Many hunted and trapped deer and beaver
• Perfectly fertile soil for growing

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Southern Colonies
MD
VA
NC

• The Southern Colonies included Maryland (MD),
  Virginia (VA), North Carolina (NC), South
  Carolina (SC), and Georgia (GA).

SC
GA
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Southern Colonies Video
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Climate

• Rich land, plenty of rain, and a long growing
  season
• Warm weather for much of the year

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Land Features

• Coastal plains,
• swamps, forests, and
• harbors
• Many rivers, bays, and wetlands
• Tidewater- the water levels rise and fall
  everyday
• with the ocean tide

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Resources

• Forests in the backcountry
• Due to rich and fertile soil, many cash crops are
  grown

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Colonial Life
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Large Landowners

• A plantation is a large farm on which crops are
  raised by workers who live on the farm
• Landowners gained wealth by selling cash crops
• Needed help from indentured servants and slaves
  to keep the farm running

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Colonial Farms Video
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Farmers

• Struggled in New England Colonies-more prosperous
  in Middle and Southern colonies
• Raised livestock such as cattle and pigs
• Grew vegetables, fruit, and grains

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Artisans

• Were skilled at making something by hand such as
  silver spoons or wooden chairs
• Either owned their own store or worked from home
• Examples of artisans include blacksmiths,
  carpenters, and jewelers

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Women

• Roles depended on where they lived
• Had tough lives full of spinning, sewing, food
  preservation, cooking, cleaning, and caring for
  their families

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Indentured Servants

• Wanted a better life in America, but did not have
  the money to pay for their passage
• Got their passage paid for along with room and
  board in exchange for promising labor for 4-7
  years
• Had few rights without the permission
• Most worked on large plantations working long,
  hard days

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Slaves and Indentured Servants
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Slaves

• Got here through the triangular trade
• Worked on Southern plantations as field laborers
  or servants
• Slowly replaced indentured slave labor
• Bought and sold like pieces of property-oftentimes
  families are split apart

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Struggles of Slaves

• Were given poor shelter, food, and clothing-many
  died early
• Often punished by overseers
• Created a community of support
• Lived under harsh punishment and laws
• Some ran away or resisted in other ways

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Native Americans

• At first, colonists and Native Americans had a
  good relationship
• Native Americans taught colonists how to grow
  crops and survive the winter
• They traded with one another
• Once colonies were established, Indians were
  pushed West