# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Thirteen American Colonies

Part 2: Characteristics of the Colonies

Each colony had its own unique characteristics, but historians lump them into groups based on where they were, why they were founded, and what kinds of industry they had:

Motivations
By and large, the people who settled in the New England Colonies wanted to keep their family unit together and practice their own religion. They were used to doing many things themselves and not depending on other people for much. Some of these people came to New England to make money, but they were not the majority.

The people who founded the Middle Colonies were looking to practice their own religion (Pennsylvania mainly) or to make money. Many of these people didn't bring their families with them from England and were the perfect workers for the hard work required in ironworks and shipyards.

The founders of the Southern Colonies were, for the most part, out to make money. They brought their families, as did the New England colonists, and they kept their families together on the plantations. But their main motivation was to make the good money that was available in the new American market.

Economy
The New England Colonies were largely farming and fishing communities. The people made their own clothes and shoes. They grew much of their own food. Crops like beans, corn, and squash grew in large numbers, and much was shipped to England. Foods that didn't grow in America were shipped from England. Boston was the major New England port.

The Middle Colonies were part agriculture, part industrial. Wheat and other grains grew on farms in Pennsylvania and New York. Factories in Maryland produced iron, and factories in Pennsylvania produced paper and textiles. Trade with England was plentiful in these colonies as well.

The Southern Colonies were almost entirely agricultural. The main feature was the plantation, a large plot of land that contained a great many acres of farmland and buildings in which lived the people who owned the land and the people who worked the land. (A large part of the workforce was African slaves, who first arrived in 1619.)

Southern plantations grew tobacco, rice, and indigo, which they sold to buyers in England and elsewhere in America.

Graphics courtesy of ArtToday

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
European nations sent settlers to North America beginning the 16th century. These settlements eventually became the 13 Colonies.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This page describes the land, economy, culture, and religions of the Southern Colonies

People of Jamestown

Colonies

Climate and Geography

The Southern Colonies enjoyed warm climate with hot summers and mild winters. Geography ranged from coastal plains in the east to piedmont farther inland. The westernmost regions were mountainous. The soil was perfect for farming and the growing season was longer than in any other region. Hot summers, however, propagated diseases such as malaria and yellow fever.

Religion

Most people in the Southern Colonies were Anglican (Baptist or Presbyterian), though most of the original settlers from the Maryland colony were Catholic, as Lord Baltimore founded it as a refuge for English Catholics. Religion did not have the same impact on communities as in the New England colonies or the Mid-Atlantic colonies because people lived on plantations that were often distant and spread out from one another.

Economy

The Southern economy was almost entirely based on farming. Rice, indigo, tobacco, sugarcane, and cotton were cash crops. Crops were grown on large plantations where slaves and indentured servants worked the land. In fact, Charleston, South Carolina became one of the centers of the American slave trade in the 1700's.

13 Colonies Regions

13 Colonies Regions

13 Colonies Regions Articles

13 Colonies Regions Online Activities

13 Colonies Regions Reading Comprehension (Online and Printable)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This page describes the land, climate, religion, and economy of America's Southern Colonies. Perfect for kids!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This page describes the land, economy, culture, and religions of the Mid-Atlantic (Middle) Colonies

New Amsterdam

Colonies

Climate and Geography

The Middle colonies spanned the Mid-Atlantic region of America and were temperate in climate, with warm summers and cold winters. Geography ranged from coastal plains along the coastline, piedmont (rolling hills) in the middle, and mountains farther inland. This area had good coastal harbors for shipping. Climate and land were ideal for agriculture. These colonies were known as the "breadbasket" because of the large amounts of barley, wheat, oats, and rye that were grown here.

Religion

Religion in the Middle Colonies was varied as no single religion seemed to dominate the entire region. Religious tolerance attracted immigrants from a wide-range of foreign countries who practiced many different religions. Quakers, Catholics, Jews, Lutherans and Presbyterians were among those religious groups that had significant numbers in the middle colonies.

Economy

The Middle Colonies enjoyed a successful and diverse economy. Largely agricultural, farms in this region grew numerous kinds of crops, most notably grains and oats. Logging, shipbuilding, textiles production, and papermaking were also important in the Middle Colonies. Big cities such as Philadelphia and New York were major shipping hubs, and craftsmen such as blacksmiths, silversmiths, cobblers, wheelwrights, wigmakers, milliners, and others contributed to the economies of such cities.

13 Colonies Regions

13 Colonies Regions

13 Colonies Regions Articles

13 Colonies Online Activities

13 Colonies Regions Reading Comprehension (Online and Printable)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
13 Colonies Regions - Mid-Atlantic (Middle) Colonies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This page describes the land, climate, religion, and economy of America's Mid-Atlantic or "Middle" Colonies. Perfect for kids!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
2023 MrNussbaum.com is a copyright of the Nussbaum Education Network,LLC.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mr. Nussbaum - 13 Colonies Regions - New England Colonies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This page describes the land, climate, religion, and economy of America’s New England Colonies. Perfect for kids!