Why was Jamestown settled?
Wealth for individuals and the home country (economic reasons)
Why was Plymouth settled?
Plymouth was settled by the PIlgrims in order to escape religious persecution and have a place to practice their religion freely.
Where do people live in each region? What major cities are there?
New England small towns centered around a green
Middle Colonies family farms, largest cities in the colonies (NYC, Philadelphia)
Southern Colonies Plantations and small farms, few large cities
What problems did Jamestown settlement initially face?
The aristocrats did not work. Those that did work focused on searching for gold so they did not have enough food or appropriate shelter.
What problems did Plymouth settlement initially face?
Arrived too late to plant crops and faced a starving time. Once they could plant they had difficulty with the poor quality, sandy soil.
What major cities/Settlements are in each region?
New England Plymouth, Boston
Middle Colonies New York City, Philadelphia
Southern Colonies Roanoke, Jamestown
What caused the Jamestown colony to become successful?
The introduction of a new strain of Tobacco by John Rolfe. This finally made the colony profitable.
How did Plymouth overcome these issues?
Help from local Native Americans
Describe the governments of each region? What contributions do they make to our ideas about government?
New England Mayflower Compact - self-government/majority rule leads to town meetings; Fundamental Orders of Connecticut - First Constitution/ separation of Church and State; Rhode Island - Freedom of Religion
Middle Colonies Religious Toleration - No official religion
Southern Colonies House of Burgesses - first representative assembly in the colonies
When and how did slavery begin at Jamestown?
In 1619 a ship carrying 20 slaves arrived in Jamestown. These people were sold as servants because they were Christian, but over time the reluctance of indentured servants to come to the colony, coupled with predjudices against those who were different led to a shift toward race-based slavery.
describe each region’s climate, physical geography, and natural resources.
New England short growing season, thin rocky soil, access to Atlantic Ocean for fishing, whaling, trade, trees for lumber and shipbuilding
Middle Colonies moderate growing season, fertile soil allowed for growing of cash crops, iron, timber, whales, furs
Southern Colonies long growing season, fertile soil excellent for growing cash crops, main natural resource utilized was the soil, but also had furs, timber, and access to the ocean
Who settled in each region? Why? What are the major groups/religions in each region?
New England mostly English (Pilgrims and Puritans)
Middle Colonies English, Germans, Dutch, Swedes, French, Portuguese, Scots-Irish - Varied Religions including Anglican, Quaker, Presbyterian, Catholic, Lutheran, etc.
Southern Colonies mostly English and enslaved Africans - Mainly Anglican w/ Catholics in Maryland
What are the region’s major economic activities? How does geography determine these activities?
New England Fishing, whaling, shipbuilding, trade
Middle Colonies farming of staple crops, craftspeople, iron, furs, whaling
Southern Colonies plantation farming