BRITISH COLONIES

Over the years the number of people coming from New England and other areas to the new world increased. With the increase of population three different colonies gradually emerged. People started to come to the new world because of the stories they heard, plentiful land, and job opportunities. These colonies were known as the Northern, middle, and Southern colonies. The North colonies included New Hampshire, Massachusetts (Plymouth), Rode Island, and Connecticut. The middle colonies included Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York. The Southern colonies included Carolina (SC and NC), Virginia, Georgia, and Maryland.  Even though economy and society showed that each of these colonies had many differences, they were also similar in certain aspects.

The Northern colonies had high marriage rates. Many families came to this colony which increased population and the opportunities for marriage. They had low infant mortality rate. The colonists lived in settlements or towns and created a government. They elected one governor to lead the people. Religion was the center of the colony. Some of the religions were Puritanism, Calvinism, and Quakers. Their economy consisted of farming, fish trade and timber. The fish trade brought about “shipbuilding and trained generations of fishermen, sailors, and merchants, creating a commercial network” (Roark 104) . They also did trade in livestock. All the work in the colony was done by the colonists themselves. They had no need for slaves.

          The middle colonies were the most diverse of all the colonies. They consisted of Germans, Pennsylvania Dutch, and “Scots-Irish”. Since the middle colonies were diverse they “were not as cohesive as the New England colonies because colonists in this region were not united by a single religion or code of beliefs” (The Middle Colonies). The colonist set up small farms with occasional cities here and there. Land was plentiful in Pennsylvania and there was an increased number of Quakers. The Quakers had a big influence on middle colonies. With the great diversity in the colonies, religious tolerance was practiced. No one forced anyone to practice a certain religion. Their major crop was wheat. They had a high standard of living thus allowing colonists to enjoy a wide range of imports. Instead of having slaves, people in the middle colonies had “redemptioners” (Dr.Holden). These people were like indentured servants.

          The Southern colonies had the largest population. The region was defined by slavery. The lives of the colonists were centered on farming. Their major cash crops were tobacco and sugar cane. In order to keep up with the farming they needed extra help. They began to use slaves to take care of the tobacco farms.  The people that first came to the Southern colonies were mainly men who were unskilled. In other words they were rich men who had no skills for farming. The population of women was low. A governor was selected to lead the people and the House of Burgesses was created. This was the wealthiest region. The classes were united by white supremacy. Wealthy dominated politics and the poor men were not allowed to vote.

Despite the many differences that contributed to their own identities they also had similarities. They each had rapid population growth. Their economics were based on agricultures. All three of them farmed a type of crop. They all saw a decline in religious fervor. Deism became prevalent among some elites. Deism means that God is watching but will not intervene. They all shared a British identity. Meaning that they functioned how British set them up and they united against potential enemies. Governors were common among each colony. Money came from the joint-stock company.

All in all one will notice that each of the three colonial regions had their own identity. They each came up with different ways to make their colony prosperous. The colonists that came to each colonial region also impacted how the colonies ran. Even though the land, economy, and society shaped the colonial regions in different ways they also provided similarities for each of the regions.

Bibliography:

"Comparing Settlement Patterns: New Spain, New France, New England." Comparing Settlement Patterns: New Spain, New France, New England. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. http://people.umass.edu/hist383/class notes/Comparing Settlement Patterns.htm.

"The Middle Colonies." The Middle Colonies. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2013. http://www.radford.edu/~rvshelton/Middle.htm.

Roark, James L., Michael P. Johnson, Patricia Cline Cohen, Sarah Stage, and Susan M. Hartman. The American Promise. 5th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012. Print.