Ch. 2

Middle Colonies Economy

Although the Dutch soon began trading with Native Americans for beaver and otter pelts, they did not send colonial settlers until 1624. Not many slaves. The rivers allowed colonist farmers to ship surplus, or extra, crops to be sold in cities such as Philadelphia and New York. Philadelphia was the main ocean port on the Delaware River, and New York was located where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean. The rivers and ports in the Middle Colonies allowed merchants to bring goods in and out of the area. This contributed to the region becoming a center of colonial trade. For example, merchants in the region's cities purchased wheat from local farmers, milled the wheat into flour, and exported the flour to other colonies and to Europe. They also imported manufactured goods, such as tools, porcelain ware, and home furnishings, from England and other European countries. Although most of the people in the Middle Colonies were farmers, the growth of large cities in the region created the need for specialized jobs. By the early 1700s, cities like New York, Newark, and Philadelphia had tailors, blacksmiths, wheelwrights (wheel makers), chandlers (candle makers), coopers (barrel makers), cobblers (shoemakers), printers, and other specialized tradespeople.

Modivations for settling the Southern Colonies

Corporate colony: owned by stockholders who were given authority by a charter signed by an English ruler. (Virginia) Proprietary colony: ownership given by an English ruler to a person or group of individuals. (M The reason for settling JamesTown was to make money. Calvert wanted to set up a colony in which Catholics were free to worship according to their faith. His colony would become Maryland. Oglethorpe wanted a colony both as a new start for people in poverty and as a model society that embodied justice and equality. Virginia-hoping for profit from gold. Maryland-free to worship according to their faith. The Carolinas- attracted a variety of people who were farmers (small and large) Georgia- a new start for people in poverty and a model society that embodied justice and equality.

What was colonial life like for free and enslaved Aferican Americans in the North?

Free Agrican Americans had freedom and rights but they had to do the same jobs as the slaves. Free African Americans were not treated as equals, but they were paid wages.

What was colonial life like for indentured servants and for enslaved people in the South?

Indentured servants had to work but they at least had rights and were protected by the law. But enslaved people didn't have rights and were considered their owners properity.

Reasons for settling the Middle Colonies

King Charles the second of England created several proprietary colonies. He wanted to attract as many people as possible to his colony. William Penn was a Quaker and created a colony where all could worship as they please. Quakers could also escape persecution in England. Also because there was a large amount of freedom it attracted the attention of many people. European settlers were attracted to the excellent soil and resources of the Middle Colonies.

Middle Colonies Cultural Charecter Characteristics

Known for being tolerant of people from diverse backgrounds and religious faiths. Lutherans, German Baptists, French Protestants, Dutch Mennonites, ect. Peaceful dealings with the Native Americans. Chain of friendship, between the colonial settlers and the Lenni Lenape people at first, initial corporation did not last. The Middle Colonies were more diverse, or varied, than the other colonial regions, both in the number of nationalities and in the number of religious groups that lived there. Lutherans, German Baptists, French Protestants, Dutch Mennonites, and Portuguese Jews were some of the different groups that settled in the region. There also were many free and enslaved Africans in the Middle Colonies. When the English took over New Amsterdam in 1664, half of the inhabitants were not Dutch. Free and enslaved Africans also lived in the region, especially in New York City. In 1746, African Americans made up 20 percent of New York's population. The diversity of the Middle Colonies distinguished them from both the New England and Southern colonies, where there were single, dominant religious majorities—Puritans in New England, Anglicans in the South. They sympathized with other Protestants from Europe who faced persecution or discrimination in their home countries. The Dutch welcomed these dissenters to their colonies. During the period of Dutch colonization, people came to the Middle Colonies from Scandinavia, France, Belgium, Germany, and other countries. Grain farming is not labor-intensive, so landowners relied more on labor from other settlers and indentured servants than on slave labor. In 1700 in Pennsylvania, about three percent of the population was enslaved, or 1,000 out of a total population of 30,000.

Southern Colonies Culture Characteristics

Many families in the southern colonies were not wealthy and had small farms. For the smaller wealthy class, due to the large plantations, indentured servants, and then enslaved laborers were used. Initial cooperation with Native tribes, however once colonists could survive on their own, and wanted more land, conflict between colonists and Native American tribes grew. (Led to death for both Native americans and colonists).

New Engalnd Government

New England's location affected its politics because it was so far from England. As a result, it was hard for the king to govern the colonies, so New England could create its own institutions. The democratic practices that grew in New England would lay the groundwork for later state and national governments. They established a government that was under the rule of the English king. Most New England communities held town meetings. Participants in town meetings made decisions and rules concerning the business of the town. They elected government officials, made local laws, set taxes, and spent money on schools, public improvements, and law enforcement. Anyone at the meeting could speak to bring up problems and propose solutions. However, the only colonists who could vote or have any say in town meeting decisions were white men who owned property and were respected members in good standing of the town church. Leaders of Connecticut drafted the Fundamental Orders, which some historians consider to be the first constitution written in America. The Framers eventually used the document as a model for the United States Constitution, which is why Connecticut is called the Constitution State. The Fundamental Orders defines the terms and oaths of government office and describes the processes for running town meetings and elections. The settlers of Connecticut rejected a religious requirement for voting. They believed the right to vote should not be limited to Puritan men.

Motivations for Settling the New England Colonies

New Hampshire and Main were settled in hopes of profit. (Fur trading and fishing.) A religious group called the Puritans believed that the church of England was corrupt, the Pilgrims believed that they could not fix the corruption, so they set sail for America hoping that they could create a society in which they could freely practice their beliefs. They founded the Plymouth Bay Colony and Massachusetts. And Rhode island was settled to get away from the rigid laws of the church.

New England Religion

Newport, a prosperous port town by the end of the 17th century, had a cosmopolitan ecumenical mix of Quakers, Jews, Baptists, Catholics, and Puritans. The main religion in Massachusetts and Plymouth was Puritans. In Rhode Island, people were trying to get away from the Puritans, so it was more mixed there. And it was mixed in Main and New Hampshire and Connecticut as well. And the population also included African Americans.

Shouthern Colonies

Of the five Southern Colonies, only Virginia was a corporate colony. The other four Southern Colonies: Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia were all proprietary colonies.

New England Colonies

Plymouth Bay Colony. Massachusetts Bay Colony. (Main was part of Massachusetts.) Rhode Island. New Hampshire. Connecticut.

Middle Colonies Religion

Religious Society of Friends aka Quakers= Christian religious group. Rejected priests and religious ceremony. Believed faith was a matter of the individual's inner consciousness. Punished in England b/c their beliefs differed from Anglican beliefs (Church of England) Middle colonies promoted religious tolerance and religious freedom. Lutherans, German Baptists, French Protestants, Dutch Mennonites, and Portuguese Jews were some of the different groups that settled in the region. However not all colonies had religious freedom.

New England Economy

Small farms and trade stations. Sustenance farming. Forests provided fruits and nuts; Lumber for building houses and ships; Animals for hunting and trapping.; thriving ocean based economy; fishing, shipbuilding, and whaling, Native americans helped with hunting, fishing and growing some crops, trade with the native american tribes, once the center of new England slave trade.

Southern Colonies Geography

The Southern Colonies had a long growing season, flatland, a variety of soils, and a hot, humid climate. Because of these factors, the region proved to be ideal for agriculture. There were also calm rivers leading to many excellent harbors.

What distinguished colonial social classes?

The amount of land you owned. And your wealth.

Middle Colonies

The colonies of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware are referred to as the Middle Colonies.

New Engalnd Cultural Characteristics

The goal was to provide a model of devout Christian life for the rest of the world. In Massachusetts: strict rules established by the puritan church that the colonists were required to follow. Connecticut was more religiously tolerant. New england colonies had conflict with each other over religious beliefs and the treatment of Native americans. Quakers played a major role in the abolition movement (movement to get rid of the slavery starting in the 1700's.) Relationship with Native tribes changed as colonists wanted more land. Conflicts impacted relationship. Population of african Americans. Small wars lead to death and disease ruining friendly ties. Many of the region's population centers emerged on bays or near the mouths of rivers to support water-based economic activities, such as fishing, shipbuilding, and whaling. New England rocky soil made much of its land unsuitable for development. As a result, New England settlements commonly were bunched together. They often had higher populations than colonial settlements in the Middle and Southern colonies.

What was family life like in the colonies?

The men owned everything and everything was their's except for among the Quakers. And in some states women were able to write wills.

What were the differences among colonial social classes?

The more monry you had the more leasure you had. And people were treated due to their class. Exvept for with Quakers where everyone was treated the same and as a friend.

Middle Colonies Geography

The region had fertile soil so crops grow well there. There also are rolling hills and valleys. The climate of the region includes cold, wet winters and long, hot summers with plenty of rain. The land and climate in the Middle Colonies were good for growing wheat, barley, and oats. Another important feature of the Middle Colonies was the region's long, wide rivers, including the Hudson River and the Delaware River. The native Lenni Lenape used rivers in many ways.

Geography of New Engalnd Colonies

The region had long, harsh winters, and the growing season was short. Much of the land was covered with thick forests, which made the land difficult to clear for farming. However, the forests provided fruits and nuts as well as timber for building houses, ships, and tools. Forests also had animals that colonists could hunt and trap. Farming remained difficult after settlers cut down the forests. The soil was thin and rocky. They are all on the coast of the atlantic ocean. Most are along a gulf. The marshes, inlets, and swift-flowing streams of New England influenced what people ate and how they made a living.

Shouthern Colonies Economy

The settlers cultivated cash crops. North Carolina settlers often set up small farms that practiced subsistence agriculture. The middle part was South Carolina. Wealthy South Carolina landowners formed plantations that grew rice and indigo as cash crops that they sold in bulk for profits. The original charter for Georgia prohibited the importation of enslaved people. As a result, the colonists established small farms but not plantations. By 1750, the law was changed, and Georgians began importing enslaved laborers and developing plantations.

Middle Colonies Government

They allowed freedom of religion and some political freedom. Democracy, or government in which the people have the power to make political decisions. Penn created a colonial assembly, or group of representatives, to make laws for the colony. Penn allowed colonists to elect the council's members, one-third of whom were elected every year for three-year terms. However Penn alone chose the colony's governor. The proprietors appointed the colonial governors, while the male landowners of the colony elected the legislative, or lawmaking, assemblies. However not every colony had complete religious freedom. New Amsterdam allowed Jews to own land and establish businesses, although they were prohibited from holding public office or building synagogues.

What were work, education, and leisure like for colonial children?

They were expected to work as much as possible for their age. They still however fround ways to have fun and no one had free time exept very ritch children. Education was basic except for those few who showed talent.

Shouthern Colonies Religion

Virginia- the anglican church was the official religion. Maryland-Roman Catholicism. The General Assembly in Maryland passed the Act of Religious Toleration in 1649. This document allowed religious freedom for all Christians living in the colony, whether Protestant or Catholic. During the second half of the 1600s, the Protestant population in Maryland and the surrounding colonies grew rapidly.

How did women's roles in the colonies differ from men's?

Women had different work from men. There was mens work and womens work, but those works changed depending on the culture and where you lived. In some areas men and womens work were not seperate.