Regions

  Map of 13 Colonies
  Map of the 13 Colonies
[audio] The Three Regions of the 13 Colonies

  • The number of people differed among the colony regions; the amount of land in the colonies also differed among the regions with small numbers of people on huge tracts of land.
  • The first European colonists didn't know how big North America was because they didn't have a map of the continent.
  • The three geographic regions of the 13 Colonies were the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies.


[audio] The New England Colonies

  • The four original New England Colonies were :
    New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island.


The Environment of the New England Colonies

  • The climate of the New England Colonies was colder than the other two colonial regions because they were the farthest north.
  • The climate was a positive factor for the colonists in the New England Colonies; it prevented the spread of life-threatening diseases.
  • The climate was a negative factor for the colonist in the New England Colonies; the severe winters killed many people.
  • The geography of New England was mostly hills with rocky soil.


The natural resources of the New England Colonies

  • The natural resources of the New England Colonies included fish, whales, trees and furs.
  • The natural resources were more important than agricultural crops to colonists in New England because of poor, rocky soil and the short growing season.


Religion in the New England Colonies

  • The main function of New England towns was to support the religion of the Puritans.
  • Religious freedom in Puritan colonies did not exist. The Puritan's world view did not tolerate other religions.

 

[audio] The Southern Colonies

The Environment of the Southern Colonies

  • The climate of the Southern Colonies was the warmest climate of the three colonial regions.
  • The warmer climate was a positive factor for the colonists in the Southern Colonies. They didn't worry as much about surviving cold winters.
  • The warmer climate was a negative factor for the colonists in the Southern Colonies; the warm, moist climate carried diseases that killed the colonists.
  • The geography of the Southern Colonies which had a broad, coastal plain that was hilly and covered with forests.
  • The natural resources of the Southern Colonies included rich farm land, forests and fish.


Religion in the Middle Colonies

  • There was more religious freedom in the Middle Colonies than in New England. No single church or religion dominated in the Middle Colonies.

 

[audio] Contrasts Between the North and the South

Agricultural Differences

  • The environment impacted the economy and agriculture in the New England Colonies; farming was not as important for making a living because of climate and geography.
  • The environment also impacted the economy and agriculture of the Southern Colonies; farming was an important way to make a living because of it's climate and geography.
  • The differences between the New England Colonies and the Southern Colonies in agriculture included the climate and geography.


Agriculture influences trade

  • The difference between the New England Colonies and the Southern Colonies in agriculture: Southern colonists exported agricultural products and New England colonists imported agricultural products.


Manufacturing Differences

  • The New England Colonies looked to their natural resources as a way to make a living; the environment forced them to look for other ways to make a living other than farming.
  • The Southern Colonies didn't develop all their natural resources as a way to make a living; there was excellent soil for farming income, so there was no need to develop natural resources for manufacturing.
  • The differences in manufacturing occurred between the Southern Colonies and the New England Colonies: The Southern Colonies developed their main natural resource, their farmland, and not much manufacturing;
  • the opposite occurred in New England.