The document summarizes the social, political, and economic development of the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies based on their geography. It describes that the New England colonies focused on religious freedom and subsistence farming due to their rocky soil and short growing seasons. The Middle colonies served as the "breadbasket" through grain farming and had a diverse society with representative government. The Southern colonies specialized in cash crops like tobacco and cotton grown by slaves on large plantations due to their warm climate and fertile soil.

1. Aim: How did geography
affect the social, political, and
economic development of the
New England, Middle, and
Southern colonies?

2. The 13 British colonies are divided into 3
colonial regions:
• Rhode Island
• Connecticut
• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• Delaware
• Pennsylvania
• New York
• New Jersey
• Maryland
• Virginia
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Georgia

4. New England Colonies
Why were the New England colonies
founded?
–Religious Freedom
• Puritans and Pilgrims
looked to escape
religious persecution
and were looking to
find a new place to
create a more pure
and holy place to live.

5. Society
– Believed in “purifying”
the Church of England.
– Believed the Church of
England was too
corrupt and could not
be reformed (changed)
– Only male who owned
property could vote

6. God
Pope
Cardinals/Bishops
priests
People
Ministers
People
Society

7. Society
1st English governor of
Massachusetts colony

8. Intolerant of Diversity:
• Roger Williams—was kicked out of
Massachusetts because he disagreed with the
Puritans. He founded his own colony in Rhode
Island.
• Anne Hutchinson—was kicked out of
Massachusetts because she argued that people
can read and interpret the bible by themselves
without the minister. She was encouraged by
Roger Williams to settle in Rhode Island.
Society
• Salem Witch Trials 1692—When the daughter of a
minister died of mysterious causes several people
including young women are blamed for doing
witchcraft.
• Many people were accused and 20 were
declared witches and hanged.
• Those who were not killed, lived with the
reputation of being witches.

9. Geography
– Long, cold winters
– Rocky soil difficult to
grow food
– Bad farming
conditions
• Short farming
season
• Subsistence
farming (only grow
the crops you need
to survive)
– Great harbors for port
• Cities like Boston

10. Great harbors for port
Cities like Boston

11. Economic Activity

12. • Mayflower
Compact—agreement
between the male settlers
coming to Plymouth to
create and follow rules to
live in order in the new
colony.
• Fundamental Orders of
Connecticut—a written plan for creating a
government for the colony of Connecticut.
• New England Town
Meetings—system of government
where people of a town would meet to
discuss new rules or policies to benefit
the town.
Political

13. Middle Colonies
Why were the Middle colonies founded?
–Religious Freedom
–To make money through trade

14. Geography
– Mild climate (not as
cold as New England
but not as warm as
Southern colonies)
– Rocky soil but better
able to have small
farms (longer growing
season)
– Considered the “bread
basket”
• Grew large amounts
of grains for trading
– Great harbors for port
• Cities like New York

15. Great harbors for ports
Cities like New York City

16. • William Penn was a Quaker
who founded the colony of
Pennsylvania.
• Penn limited his power,
established an elected
assembly, and
promised religious
freedom to all
Christians.
Society

17. Economic Activity
• The Middle
colonies were
known as the
“Breadbasket”
• Grew crops
like wheat
and corn
– Provided food
for other
colonies
– Some shipping
and
manufacturing

18. The Middle colonies are
recognized for their
.
• In 1735, Peter Zenger is
accused of printing
negative stories about the
governor of New York
colony on his newspaper.
He went through trial and
was declared innocent.
• The Zenger Trial was
the 1st to protect the
idea of freedom of
the press in the
colonies.
Government

19. Southern Colonies
Why were the Southern colonies founded?
–To make money through cash crops
[Maryland was
founded for religious
freedom]
[Georgia was founded
as a place for

20. • John Rolfe—Englishman who introduced tobacco to
the Southern colonies.
• He married Pocahontas.
• The Southern Colonies had the largest slave population who worked
on the Plantations. Plantations grew cotton, tobacco, and other crops.
Some of the Southern plantations were very big and consisted of the
main house, slave quarters.
Society

21. Geography
– Warm Weather
– Fertile soil
• Great for growing
“cash crops”
(crops that make
lots of money)
such as cotton
and tobacco.
– Very long growing
seasons
– Bad harbors

22. Economic
Activity
– Focused on farming
cash crops like
• Tobacco “brown
gold”
• Cotton “white gold”
– Large farms called
plantations
– Relied on slave work
to maintain
plantations

23. A plantation

24. Virginia House of
Burgesses—1619
• 1st legislative assembly in
America (formal meeting
between male delegates that
represent the towns of the colony
to discuss policies of the
colonies.)
• Beginning of representative
government
Government