II. the Three Regions of Colonial America

United States History (CP) - 2012

Name: / Date: / Period:
Unit 1: Colonial America
Standard 1: / The student will demonstrate an understanding of the conflicts between regional and national interest in the development of democracy in the United States.
Indicator 1.1: / Summarize the distinct characteristics of each colonial region in the settlement
and development of British North America, including religious, social, political, and economic
differences.

I. Map of the 13 Colonies:

II. The three regions of Colonial America:

A. New England:

1. Ex: ______

B. Mid-Atlantic Colonies:

1. Ex: ______

C. Southern:

1. Ex: ______

III. Characteristics of Colonial America:

A. Religion:

1. The importance of Religion in the Colonies:

a. Although Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay were founded for religious purposes, most other settlers came to the New World to get land to improve their economic and social standing.

b. Religious intolerance in the colonial period was a prime factor in the establishment of the principle of separation of church and state after the American Revolution.

2. Religion in New England:

a. The Pilgrims and Puritans migrated for religious freedom for themselves but not for religious freedom for other religious groups.

b. The Puritans sought to create a “______” that would be a community that England could look to as a model of godliness.

c. Intolerance:

i. There was very little religious tolerance in New England; they did not want their model community defiled by people with other religious beliefs

ii. ______:

01. Ex: Roger Williams who later began the Rhode Island colony.

02. Ex: Quakers were forced out and eventually moved to Pennsylvania.

d. ______.

3. Religion in the Mid-Atlantic colonies:

a. ______.

b. Pennsylvania was founded by Quaker William Penn.

i. ______.

4. Religion in the Southern Colonies:

a. The Act of Toleration (______)

i. ______.

ii. Some say it shows religious tolerance, but some Puritans said it was intolerant of Puritanism.

b. ______:

i. Anglicanism (later the Episcopal Church) was dominant in the South.

c. Generally speaking the Southern colonies were founded for economic reasons and religion did not play as large a role in their cultural development until the Great Awakening.

B. Society:

1. ______:

a. Early migrants to New England and the mid-Atlantic colonies initially developed a somewhat egalitarian society based on religious equality that fostered the development of democratic political institutions.

b. ______.

2. Society in New England:

a. The Congregational (Puritan) church fostered the development of towns and educational institutions and shaped New England society.

3. Society in the Southern Colonies:

a. The English settlements in the South developed a hierarchical social structure early because of the plantation system and their dependence on indentured servants and later on slaves.

i. ______.

b. The development of towns and schools was impeded by these large land holdings.

c. Although Georgia was initially chartered as a penal colony that outlawed slavery in order to promote a more egalitarian society, it soon became a plantation colony that allowed slavery.

C. Politics of the Colonies:

1. The political development of the colonies was impacted by the political traditions of the mother country.

a. ______

b. ______

c. ______

d. ______

2. Colonial experiences and distance from the mother country fostered the development of democratic institutions:

a. ______

b. ______

c. Please note that the dependence on slavery and the development of the plantation economy impacted the South’s less democratic political system in which the coastal planters had more political power than ordinary farmers.

3. ______:

a. Civil war in England during the 1600s allowed the colonies to basically rule themselves.

b. ______.

4. ______:

a. Were democratically elected congresses meant to run the colony.

b. British subjects in the colonies were loyal to the Crown but believed that only their colonial assemblies had the power to tax them based on the traditions of the Magna Carta and colonial experience

5. ______:

a. Colonial assemblies controlled the tax money collected in the colony.

b. Although most colonies were royal colonies by 1750, colonial assemblies used the power of the purse to control the impact of the royal governors

D. Economics of the Colonies:

1. General:

a. The economic development of the English colonies in the New World depended on:

i. ______

ii. ______

iii. ______

b. Major Ports:

i. ______

ii. New York City

iii. ______

iv. Baltimore

v. ______

vi. All of these cities were important due to having sizable harbors

2. New England’s Economy:

a. Poor Farming:

i. Poor soil (rocky)

ii. ______

iii. Mostly subsistence farming.

iv. ______

b. Ship Building:

i. Forests provided timber for shipbuilding.

c. Proximity to the ocean and good harbors saw the rise of merchant sailors and fishermen.

3. Mid-Atlantic Economy:

a. Benefited from:

i. ______

ii. ______

iii. ______

b. Major Industry:

i. Export trade in food stuffs

c. The Mid-Atlantic colinies were not dependent on slave labor.

4. Southern Economics:

a. Cash Crops (Commercial Farming):

i. ______

ii. ______

b. Major Crops:

i. Tobacco (______)

ii. ______

iii. ______

iv. Cotton became an important part of the southern economy only after the invention of the cotton gin in 1793.

5. Trade Routes:

a. The three regions developed an interdependent network of coastal trade and trade with the British Caribbean as well as trade across the Atlantic with Africa and Europe.

b. This trade and consequent economic development was impacted by the mercantilist policies of the mother country.

i. ______:

01. Believed that colonies were there to serve the mother country.