New England Colonies Chart
The New England Colonies Chart provides important information and interesting facts about each of the 4 Colonies of New England including the date the colony was established, the system of Colonial government, religion, and the names of famous people associated with the founding and establishment each New England colony. The New England Colonies Chart provides the ability to see at a glance the differences between the regions on a chart.
Date / Name of Colony
or Settlement / Government / Religion / Towns / Famous
People
1630 / Massachusetts Colony / Charter / Puritan / Boston, Quincy, Plymouth, Salem, Lexington and Concord / John Winthrop
1636 / Rhode Island Colony / Charter / Religious Freedom / Providence, Portsmouth and Newport / Roger Williams
Anne Hutchinson
1636 / Connecticut Colony / Charter / Puritan / Hartford, New Haven,
Wethersfield and Windsor / Thomas Hooker
1638 / New Hampshire Colony / Royal / Puritan / Dover and Exeter / John Mason
New England Colonies Chart
Facts and Information about the New England Colonies
Facts about the New England Colonies of Colonial America. The New England Colonies are also referred to as the North Colonies:
- Fact 1 - Geography: The geography of New England consisted of mountains thick with trees, rivers and poor rocky soil that was difficult to farm and unsuitable for crops
- Fact 2 - Natural Resources: Fish, whales, forests. New England imported agricultural products from other colonies
- Fact 3 - Religion: No religious freedom as the Puritans did not tolerate any other form of religion
- Fact 4 - Climate: Coldest of the three regions, mild and short summers leading to long, cold winters but less disease than in the warmer colonies
- Fact 5 - Trade / Exports: Fish, whale products, ships, timber products, furs, maple syrup, copper, livestock products, horses, rum, whiskey and beer - refer to Colonial Times
- Fact 6: Farming was difficult for crops like wheat because of the poor soil but corn, pumpkins, rye, squash and beans were raised
New England Colonies - Economic Activity & Trade
There were considerable differences between the New England, Middle and Southern regions. Economic activities and trade were dependent of the environment in which the Colonists lived. The geography and climate impacted the trade and economic activities of New England Colonies. In the New England towns along the coast, the colonists made their living fishing, whaling, and shipbuilding. The fish included cod, mackerel, herring, halibut, hake,bass and sturgeon. Whale oil was a valuable resource as it could be used in lamps. 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 Northern Colonies of New England concentrated in manufacture and focused on town life and industries such as ship building and the manufacture and export of rum. See Triangular Trade.
Government in the New England Colonies
All of the systems of government in the New England Colonies elected their own legislature, they were all democratic, they all had a governor, governor's court, and a court system. The government systems used by the New England Colonies were Royal of Charter. Definitions of the government systems are as follows:
- Royal Government: The Royal Colonies were ruled directly by the English monarchy
- Charter Government: The Charter Colonies were generally self-governed, and their charters were granted to the colonists.
For additional facts and information refer to Colonial Government.
Religion in the New England Colonies
The religion practiced in New England was strictly Puritan and they did not tolerate any other religions - refer to Pilgrims and Puritans and Religion in the Colonies.
Original Names of the New England Colonies
The original names of the New England Colonies were the Province of New Hampshire, later New Hampshire, the Province of Massachusetts Bay, later Massachusetts and Maine, the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, later Rhode Island and the Connecticut Colony, later Connecticut.
Middle Colonies Chart
The Middle Colonies chart provides important information and interesting facts about each of the Middle Colonies including the date the colony was established, the systems of Colonial government, religion, major towns in the Middle Colonies and the names of famous people associated with the founding and establishment each colony. The Middle Colonies chartprovides the ability to see at a glance the differences between the regions on a chart.
Date / Name of Colony
or Settlement / Region / Government
in 1775 / Religion / Famous
People
1626 / New York Colony / Middle / Royal / Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, Jewish
and others / Peter Minuit
Peter Stuyvesant
1638 / Delaware Colony / Middle / Proprietary / Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, Jewish
and others / Peter Minuit
1664 / New Jersey Colony / Middle / Royal / Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, Jewish
and others / Lord Berkeley
George Carteret
1682 / Pennsylvania Colony / Middle / Proprietary / Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, Jewish
and others / William Penn
Middle Colonies Chart
Information and Facts about the Middle Colonies
The four Middle Colonies of Colonial America consisted of a mix of both northern and southern features and its early settlement was dominated by non-English Europeans, mostly Dutch and German, the English colonists were in the minority. Facts about the Middle Colonies of Colonial America:
- Fact 1 - Geography: The geography of the Middle Colonies had a mix of the New England and Southern features but had fertile soil and land that was suited to farming
- Fact 2 - Natural Resources: Good farmland, timber, furs and coal. Iron ore was a particularly important natural resource
- Fact 3 - Religion: Not dominated by a specific religion which gave way to religious freedom for Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, Jews and others.
- Fact 4 - Climate: The Middle Colonies had a mild climate with warm summers and mild winters
- Fact 5 - Trade / Exports: The Middle Colonies were the big food producing region that included corn and wheat and livestock including beef and pork. Other industries included the production of iron ore, lumber, textiles, furs and shipbuilding - refer to Colonial Times and Colonial Society.
Middle Colonies - Economic Activity & Trade
There were considerable differences between the New England, Middle and Southern regions. Economic activities and trade were dependent of the environment in which the Colonists lived. The geography and climate impacted the trade and economic activities of Middle Colonies. The Middle Colonies exported agricultural products and natural resources. The Middle colonies are often called the breadbasket colonies because they grew so many crops, especially wheat. The Middle colonies built flour mills where wheat was ground into flour, then shipped to England. A typical farm was 50 to 150 acres consisting of a house, barn, yard and fields. The Middle Colonies were also able to manufacture iron ore products such as plows, tools, kettles, nails and large blocks of iron which they exported to England.
Middle Colonies Government
All of the systems of government in the Middle Colonies elected their own legislature, they were all democratic, they all had a governor, governor's court, and a court system. Government in the Middle Colonies was mainly Proprietary, but New York started as a Royal Colony. Definitions of both of the government systems are as follows:
- Royal Government: The Royal Colonies were ruled directly by the English monarchy
- Propriety Government: The King granted land to people in North America, who then formed Proprietary Colonies
For additional facts and information refer to Colonial Government.
Middle Colonies Religion
The Middle Colonies were not dominated by a single religion which gave way to more liberal attitudes and some religious freedom. There were Quakers, Catholics, Lutherans, Jews and others in the Middle regions and colonies. For additional facts and information about religion refer to Pilgrims and Puritans or our comprehensive article on Religion in the Colonies.
Date / Name of Colony
or Settlement / Region / Government / Religion / Famous
People
1607 / Virginia Colony / Southern / Royal / Anglican
and Baptist / John Smith
1633 / Maryland Colony / Southern / Proprietary / Anglicans and Baptists / George Calvert
1653 / North Carolina Colony / Southern / Royal / Anglican
and Baptist / Lords Proprietors
Charter of Carolina
1663 / South Carolina Colony / Southern / Royal / Anglican
and Baptist
1732 / Georgia Colony / Southern / Royal / Anglican
and Baptist / James Oglethorpe
1620 / Plymouth Settlement
(De-established 1691) / Southern / Royal Charter / Puritan, Anglican
and Baptist / William Bradford
Original Names of the Middle Colonies
The original names of the Middle Colonies were the Province of New York, later New York and Vermont, the Province of New Jersey, later New Jersey, the Province of Pennsylvania, later Pennsylvania and the Delaware Colony (before 1776, the Lower Counties on Delaware), later Delaware.
Southern Colonies
The Southern Colonies provides important information and interesting facts about each of the 13 Colonies including the date the colony was established, the region (New England, Middle or Southern) the systems of Colonial government, religion, details of trade and economic activity and the names of famous people associated with the founding and establishment each colony. For additional facts and info refer to Colonial Society. The Southern Colonies provides the ability to see at a glance the differences between the regions on a chart.
Information and Facts about the Southern Colonies
Information and facts about the Southern Colonies of Colonial America:
- Fact 1 - Geography: The geography of the Southern Colonies featured fertile soil, hilly coastal plains, forests, long rivers and swamp areas
- Fact 2 - Natural Resources: Fish, forests (timber) and good agricultural land, farming was important. Exported agricultural products to other colonies
- Fact 3 - Religion: Not dominated by a specific religion which gave way to religious freedom for Baptists, Anglicans and others. Refer to Religion in the Colonies
- Fact 4 - Climate: 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
- Fact 5 - Trade / Exports: Tobacco, cotton, rice, indigo (dye), lumber, furs, farm products - refer to Colonial Times
Southern Colonies - Economic Activity & Trade
There were considerable differences between the New England, Middle and Southern regions. Economic activities and trade were dependent of the environment in which the Colonists lived refer to Triangular Trade. The geography and climate impacted the trade and economic activities of Southern Colonies. The Southern Colonies concentrated on agriculture and developed the plantations exporting tobacco, cotton, corn, vegetables, grain, fruit and livestock. 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 which made the plantations to large degree, self-sufficient. Crops were traded for items that could not be produced on the plantations including farm tools, shoes, lace, and dishes.
Southern Colonies Government
All of the systems of government in the Southern Colonies elected their own legislature, they were all democratic, they all had a governor, governor's court, and a court system. The systems of Government in the Southern Colonies were either Royal or Proprietary. Definitions of both of the government systems are as follows:
- Royal Government: The Royal Colonies were ruled directly by the English monarchy
- Propriety Government: The King granted land to people in North America, who then formed Proprietary Colonies.
For additional facts and information refer to Colonial Government.
Southern Colonies Religion
The Southern Colonies were not dominated by a single religion which gave way to more liberal attitudes and some religious freedom. There were predominantly Anglicans and Baptists in the Southern region and Colonies. For additional facts and information about religion refer to Religion in the Colonies.
Southern Colonies
The Southern Colonies article provides important information and interesting facts at a glance about the Southern Colonies including the date the colonies were established, the systems of government, religions, details of trade and the economic activities in the Southern Colonies. The names of important people associated with the founding and establishment of the Southern Colonies. A helpful, illustrated educational resource for teachers, kids and children.