Life in the British Colonies

The first permanent English settlement in North America was Jamestown, founded in 1607. In 1620, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. By 1754 (over 100 years later), there were 13 British colonies along the Eastern coast of the present-day United States. Each of these colonies was established by a different group for a different reason, but the colonies can be generally grouped into three categories based on their founding histories, geographic location, economic characteristics, and political and social customs. In all of the colonies there was a firm belief in the importance of private property and free enterprise.

New England Colonies / Middle Colonies / Southern Colonies
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Connecticut
Rhode Island / New York
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Delaware
Maryland* / Maryland*
Virginia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia

Different Climates  Different Jobs Different Economies

Climate, geography and natural resources help determine the economic activities in an area. The thin, rocky soil and hilly terrain of the New England colonies, along with its cold climate and short growing season, made large scale farming in the New England region difficult. However, the many miles of coastline and a number of good natural harbors made fishing, shipbuilding and trade very profitable. Boston became the major port city of New England and a center for trade with Britain. New England was a central part of a system of trade routes known as the “Triangle Trade” in which New Englanders traded guns and rum for West Indian slaves who were brought to the Caribbean sugar islands and traded for molasses and sugar (see diagram). New England later became a center for manufacturing.

The Middle Colonies’ coastal lowlands had many harbors and bays and wide deep rivers. There, settlers found rich farmland and a moderate climate, which supported small-scale farming of wheat, rye, oats, corn and barley (this is why they are sometimes called the “breadbasket” colonies). The rich farmland was also perfect for producing livestock. Because ships could easily come in and out, many coastal areas became major trading centers. The Middle Colonies had a variety of economic activities (ways of making money). While some places were agricultural, there were many artisans and trades, with people involved in shipbuilding, iron-works, and textile manufacturing. Cities like New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore became commercial centers and important ports for trade with England and the other colonies.

The founders of the Southern colonies were primarily interested in making money and almost everyone in the Southern colonies made their living by farming. The Southern Colonieshad good harbors (such as Charleston SC and Savannah GA) and many rivers near the coast, and a warm, humid climate that made it ideal for growing many crops, nearly year-round. The scale and type of farming, though, differed depending on the area. On the Eastern coastal plains, flat, fertile soil and a temperate climate made large plantations profitable. These plantations grew cash crops like tobacco, rice, and indigo. Southern planters relied heavily on African slave labor to work their lands. Further to the west, though, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, most colonists lived on small, subsistence farms and hunted and traded.

Founders and their Reasons  Colonial Social Relationships

Many of the original settlers at Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay in New Englandwere Puritans who came to the New World to escape religious persecution in England. As a result, the government and society of these colonies was heavily focused on religion. Government and the church worked closely together to maintain social and religious standards. Church attendance was mandatory. The colonists’ social status depended on their status within the church, and most people lived in small, close-knit towns or villages. The Puritans who began the Massachusetts Colony grew increasingly intolerant of other religions and dissenters (people who disagreed with the Puritan church and its relationship with the government). Eventually, one of these dissenters, Roger Williams, founded the colony of Rhode Island (also in New England), which was the only colony to have complete religious freedom. Eventually, later settlers came to New England looking for economic opportunity (ways to make money). Most New Englanders lived on small, subsistence farms or in towns. In general, they valued hard work and thrift (being careful with money), which allowed them to prosper.

Some of the Mid-Atlantic, or Middle Colonies, like Maryland and Pennsylvania, were founded to allow certain groups to escape persecution. Maryland was established to provide Catholics with religious freedom and William Penn established Pennsylvania to provide a safe haven for Quakers. The other Middle Colonies, such as New York and New Jersey were created mostly to provide economic opportunity to the settlers or for the people who set-up the colony. As a result, society in the Middle Colonies tended to be more tolerant and flexible than in New England. The Middle Colonies also had lots of settlers of different nationalities, such as the Dutch, Swedes, Scots-Irish and Germans, as well as religious minorities such as Jews and Huguenots (Protestants from France). The Middle Colonies had a variety of representative governments with participation from its diverse population. A middle class of craftspeople, business owners and small farmers began to emerge, with social status often tied more to business success than to religious or family background. For this reason, the large trading cities were usually the hub of both economic and political power.

The social structure of the Southern colonies was based on family status and wealth, and was usually measured by land ownership. Because farming was the most common way of life, most of the population was spread out across large rural counties, instead of in cities and towns. Most Southern colonists were members of the Anglican Church (the established Church of England) and maintained strong ties to Great Britain. The large plantation owners in the coastal east dominated both society and politics, and relied on indentured servants, and then slaves, for labor. The small frontier farmers and traders who lived in the western mountains and valleys distrusted and disliked the eastern planters and fought for political power. They also regularly fought with Native Americans as they spread further west in search of available land.