The Southern Colonies had a rural, agricultural economy based on cash crops like tobacco, rice, and indigo. Society was divided between wealthy planters and farmers with small land holdings or who worked for planters. Due to the need for field labor, hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans were brought to the South to work on plantations under harsh conditions, enduring long hours, poor living situations, and abuse. Plantations, consisting of a mansion and outbuildings including slave quarters, were the center of Southern life.

1. Section 3 Notes
The Southern Colonies

2.  The SOUTH was a mostly rural region with
few TOWNS and only one large city,
CHARLES TOWN.
 The Southern economy was based on the
growth of cash crops such as TOBACCO, RICE,
and INDIGO.
 Southern society was divided into TWO main
groups. WEALTHY PLANTERS made up the
rich upper class. The lower class was made up
mostly of FARMERS who owned small farms
or worked for a large planter.

4.  Because of its AGRICULTURAL economy, the South needed
large numbers of FIELD WORKERS. As a result, hundreds
of thousands of ENSLAVED Africans were brought to the
South to work on plantations.
 Africans were brought in crowded ships on the route from
Africa to America known as the MIDDLE PASSAGE.
Conditions on the ships were unhealthy, and many Africans
DIED during the voyage.
 Life improved little for Africans after they arrived in
America. Most worked LONG HOURS, lived in SQUALID
CONDITIONS, and often endured BEATINGS.
 Some enslaved Africans reacted to their condition of slavery
by RUNNING AWAY or REBELLING.
 Some enslaved Africans became SKILLED WORKERS.
Sometimes workers earned enough money to buy their
FREEDOM.

5.  The large farms owned by upper-class
planters---PLANTATIONS---were the CENTER
of Southern life.
 The PLANTATION consisted of a family
MANSION and other small buildings,
including BARNS, stables, and SLAVE
QUARTERS.
 Most slaves on the PLANTATION worked in
the FIELDS and tended to crops. Some worked
as SERVANTS in the mansion.