# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Thirteen Colonies: the Southern Colonies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Life was very different in the rural southern colonies of Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

The weather in the south provided a long growing season, which allowed crops like rice, cotton, and tobacco to flourish. The south also exported indigo (a blue dye made from native plants). To produce enough rice or cotton or tobacco to make a profit took a great deal of land and labor.

In the south, huge plantations developed, owned and governed by one family. Each plantation was nearly self-sufficient. They produced or made just about everything they needed on the plantation. Planters could easily transport their crops because there were many waterways that allowed ocean going vessels to tie up at a dock. The south did not have a need for big cities, only for port towns (a place with a deep water dock). Charleston, South Carolina was the major port.

For labor, the plantation owners first used indentured servants, people who had exchanged passage to the New World for a great deal of work when they arrived. Once the indentured servants worked off their debt, they were paid for their labor. In time, they could save up enough money to buy their own land, perhaps not a plantation, but land enough to support their families.

By the end of the 1600s, the labor pool of indentured servants began to dry up. Plantation owners were in need of another cheap source of labor. They began to use slaves as the labor force of the south.

The economic and social structure of the rural southern colonies rested on great plantations and smaller farms.

The plantation owners built huge mansions and tried to follow the culture, or what they believed to be the culture, of the aristocrats back in England.

The smaller farm owners were independent of the great plantations and were very outspoken about the rights of free men. Many smaller farm owners found their way into politics.

The third social structure was composed of the people who lived and worked in the port towns.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The 13 Colonies for Kids - Southern Colonies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Life was very different in the rural southern colonies of Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The weather in the south provided a long growing season, which allowed crops like rice, cotton, and tobacco to flourish. The south also exported indigo (a blue dye made from native plants).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Southern Colonies: The Establishment and Settlement of the 13 original colonies

Map of Southern Colonies
This Map shows the five Southern Colonies of Colonial America composed of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
Southern Colonies
The Southern Colonies provides important information and interesting facts about each of the 13 Colonies including the date the colony was established, the region (New England, Middle or Southern) the systems of Colonial government, religion, details of trade and economic activity and the names of famous people associated with the founding and establishment each colony.

For additional facts and info refer to Colonial Society . The Southern Colonies provides the ability to see at a glance the differences between the regions on a chart.

Southern Colonies Chart

Date Name of Colony
or Settlement Region Government Religion Major Towns Famous
People

1607

Virginia Colony

Southern

Royal

Anglican
and Baptist

Jamestown, Williamsburg and Richmond

John Smith

1633

Maryland Colony

Southern

Proprietary

Anglicans and Baptists

Baltimore and Annapolis

George Calvert

1653

North Carolina Colony

Southern

Royal

Anglican
and Baptist

Brunswick Town and Raleigh

Lords Proprietors

Charter of Carolina

1663

South Carolina Colony

Southern

Royal

Anglican
and Baptist

Charleston and Sumter

1732

Georgia Colony

Southern

Royal

Anglican
and Baptist

Savannah, Hardwicke and Wrightsboro

James Oglethorpe

Southern Colonies Chart

1620

Plymouth Settlement
(De-established 1691)

Southern

Royal Charter

Puritan, Anglican
and Baptist

Jamestown

William Bradford

Information and Facts about the Southern Colonies
Information and facts about the the Southern Colonies of Colonial America:

Fact 1 - Geography: The geography of the Southern Colonies featured fertile soil, hilly coastal plains, forests, long rivers and swamp areas

Fact 2 - Natural Resources: Fish, forests (timber) and good agricultural land, farming was important. Exported agricultural products to other colonies

Fact 3 - Religion: Not dominated by a specific religion which gave way to religious freedom for Baptists, Anglicans and others. Refer to Religion in the Colonies

Fact 4 - Climate: Warmest of the three regions, winters not difficult to survive, but the hot and humid summers gave rise to the spread of disease. The warm climate made it possible to grow crops throughout the year and was ideally suited for plantations

Fact 5 - Trade / Exports: Tobacco, cotton, rice, indigo (dye), lumber, furs, farm products - refer to Colonial Times

There were considerable differences between the New England, Middle and Southern regions. Economic activities and trade were dependant of the environment in which the Colonists lived refer to Southern Colonies Colonies - Economic Activity & Trade
Triangular Trade. The geography and climate impacted the trade and economic activities of Southern Colonies. The Southern Colonies concentrated on agriculture and developed the plantations exporting tobacco, cotton, corn, vegetables, grain, fruit and livestock. The Southern Colonies had the largest slave population who worked on the Slave Plantations. Plantations grew cotton, tobacco, indigo (a purple dye), and other crops. Some of the Southern plantations were massive and consisted of the main house, slave quarters, a dairy, blacksmith's shop, laundry, smokehouse and barns which made the plantations to large degree, self-sufficient. Crops were traded for items that could not be produced on the plantations including farm tools, shoes, lace, and dishes.

Southern Colonies Government
All of the systems of government in the Southern Colonies elected their own legislature, they were all democratic, they all had a governor, governor's court, and a court system. The systems of Government in the Southern Colonies were either Royal or Proprietary. Definitions of both of the government systems are as follows:

Royal Government: The Royal Colonies were ruled directly by the English monarchy

Propriety Government: The King granted land to people in North America, who then formed Proprietary Colonies.

For additional facts and information refer to Colonial Government.

Southern Colonies Religion
The Southern Colonies were not dominated by a single religion which gave way to more liberal attitudes and some religious freedom. There were predominantly Anglicans and Baptists in the Southern region and Colonies. For additional facts and information about religion refer to Religion in the Colonies .

Southern Colonies
The Southern Colonies article provides important information and interesting facts at a glance about the Southern Colonies including the date the colonies were established, the systems of government, religions, details of trade and the economic activities in the Southern Colonies. The names of important people associated with the founding and establishment of the Southern Colonies. A helpful, illustrated educational resource for teachers, kids and children.

Colonial America Time Period Southern Colonies Timeline
Discover interesting information and facts about the history of the Southern. For a more comprehensive history timeline detailing specific events relating to all of the 13 Colonies refer to . This Southern Colonies Timeline provides a list detailing key events and dates of this amazing period in Colonial history. The five Southern Colonies of Colonial America composed of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. A comprehensive list of the key events which are important to the Southern Colonies Timeline.

Southern Colonies Timeline

Southern Colonies Timeline

Maryland was settled. King Charles I gave land to George Calvert, Lord Baltimore to create a haven for Catholics in America.

1651
1651 1660 1663 The Navigation Acts. The colonies represent a lucrative source of wealth and trade. Navigation Acts regulate colonial trade and enable England to collect duties (taxes)

1675-l676 Bacon's Rebellion. Bacon's Rebellion was an uprising in 1676 - 1677 against American Indians and the colonial government in the Virginia Colony and Bacon's Declaration of the People

King James II appoints Sir Edmund Andros to serve as Captain General and Governor in Chief of New England. Sir Edmund Andros causes dissension with the colonists as he does not have to answer to any elected assembly

1711

1711-1713: The Tuscarora War in Northern Carolina. The Tuscarora tribe was defeated by James Moore and Yamasee warriors

17 58

The Anglo-Cherokee War (1758-1761) - The Cherokee uprising in present-day Tennessee, Virginia and the Carolinas.

1765 The Stamp Act of 1765

Colonies Timeline

Southern Colonies Timeline - 1607 to 1696

Southern Colonies
The Southern Colonies provides important information and interesting facts at a glance about each of the 13 Colonies including the date the colony was established, the regions (New England, Middle or Southern Colonies) the systems of government, religions, details of trade and economic activities and the names of important people associated with the founding and establishment of the 13 Colonies. The 13 Colonies Chart provides the ability to see the differences between the regions quickly and is a useful educational resource for kids and children

Southern Colonies

Interesting Facts and information via the Southern Colonies

Southern Colonies history timeline

Fast Facts and info with the Southern Colonies

The Southern Colonies is great resource for kids

Social Studies Homework help for kids on Southern Colonies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Check out this site for facts about the Southern Colonies. The Government, Geography and Religion of the Southern Colonies. Fast facts about the Southern 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.body
Plantations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The geography of the Southern Colonies featured fertile soil, hilly coastal plains, forests, long rivers and swamp areas

Climate: Mild winters and hot, humid summers made it possible to grow crops throughout the year and was ideally suited for plantations

The Southern Colonies concentrated on developing plantations that eventually grew cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar cane and indigo (a purple dye)

Slave Trade starting in Africa

Tobacco Plantations (established in the 1600's)

Rice Plantations (established in the 1700's)

Indigo Plantations (established in the 1700's)

Cotton Plantations (established in the 1800's)

Sugar Plantations (established in the 1800's)

Commodity Value

Tobacco

Flour
Rice
Fish

Wheat
Indigo
Corn

Pine Boards

Staves and Headings

Horses

£766,000

£410,000
£312,000
£154,000

£115,000
£113,000
£83,000

£70,000

£65,000

£60,000

Cotton is not included in the above chart because cotton was not grown on Southern plantations until 1793 when Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin which made the production of cotton more profitable. Cane sugar was first imported to the 13 colonies from British West Indies. However, after the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, slave plantation owners also began growing sugar cane in addition to indigo on their plantations. Refer to and Trade in the Colonies for additional information about each of the colonies. The articles on Colonialism Mercantilism are also highly relevant to the subject of plantations. Triangular Trade,

Population Growth of Europeans and Africans
The population of the 13 colonies (European and African) increased dramatically in a relatively short number of years as can be seen by the following population chart. The number of slaves in the colonial period increased from 10,000 in the 1600's to 400,000 in the 1700's.

Year American
Population

1630

1640

1650

1660

1670

1680

1690

1700

1710

1720

1730

1740

1750

1760
1770

4,646

21,634

50,368

75,058

111,935

151,507

210,372

250,888

331,711

466,185

629,445

905,563

1,170,760

1,593,625
2,148,076

The Hierarchy on the Plantations
The hierarchy of the plantations was on three levels. The Plantation owner (the planter), the Overseer and the slaves. The owners of the plantations were usually rich, refined gentlemen from England. The owners of the plantations relied heavily on overseers to run their plantations. Overseers were men hired by the owners to manage and direct the work of slaves. The owners lived in colonial mansions, the overseers in small houses and the slave lived in very basic wooden cabins in the slave quarters.

Tobacco was the first plantation crop raised by the Southern colonies. The tobacco industry produced tobacco which was originally used for pipes and snuff. The first Southern plantations were worked by Tobacco Plantations
Indentured servants the massive sizes of the plantations needed more and more labor. Work on the tobacco plantations required slaves. The process of growing tobacco required all year attention. Seeds were first grown in flats and then the seedlings were planted by laborious hoeing in the fields. Tobacco was harvested in the late summer and then had to be dried "cured" in a tobacco house for six weeks. The tobacco leaves were then stripped from the stems and packed into hogsheads (round, wooden casks or barrels) used to hold tobacco for shipment. Tobacco became the biggest of all the trade exports during the Colonial period and tobacco plantations were highly profitable.

African slaves working on a Southern tobacco plantation in 1670 during Colonial Times

Rice Plantations
Rice was a particularly difficult crop to cultivate but the owners of the slave plantations in the Southern colonies mastered its culture by following the example of rice cultivation in Africa with information provided by their African slaves. The English and European colonists during the Colonial period had no practical experience of rice crops and the production of rice required its workers on the rice plantations to possess knowledge of the land and how to cultivate. The slaves provided sufficient labor force to produce the demanding crop on the rice plantations. In Delaware alone swampland covered over 30,000 acres. The swampland first had to be cleared. The construction of rice fields to create the rice plantations was an arduous task.

Dirt walls, called 'banks', had to be constructed to keep salt water out

Ditches and gates had to be built to move fresh water in

50 acres of rice fields sometimes required 5,000 feet of ditches

Sowing the rice seedlings was generally undertaken by female slaves on the rice plantations who trampled the seeds into the swampy soil with their bare feet. The rice fields were flooded at certain times of the year, and then drained back out. The slaves had to act as scarecrows to keep the birds away from the rice crops. The rice was flailed then harvested and then the rice was removed from the hulls in a winnowing basket. The rice was then polished before being packed into barrels and shipped for export. By the 1690's and rice became the mainstay of the colonies of Georgia and South Carolina. The cultivation of highly lucrative rice quickly spread to all of the slave plantations in the Southern colonies and rice became one of the top ten trade exports to England during the Colonial period of American history.

A rice plantation in Carolina

Indigo Plantations
Indigo was the highly prized source of blue dye. Indigo was a non-edible plant that was grown on the slave plantations in the Colonial period. Indigo was not grown on colonial plantations until an enterprising woman called Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1722-1793) developed the indigo plants as an additional cash crop for the Southern slave plantations. During the 1720s the French government had supplied the French colonists and settlers in Louisiana with indigo plant seeds. The indigo crop was successfully cultivated in Louisiana, and factories were built for the manufacture of dye.
Slaves working on an Indigo Plantation
When the indigo plants were in bloom, they were cut and put in large tubs to soak. There they fermented until it was time to drain the liquid and complete the process. Different blue shaded dyes were obtained from the leaves of the indigo plant from ranging from bright blue to violet and purple. A variant of the indigo plant is native to South Carolina and Georgia. The English encouraged the American colonists to produce indigo as it was highly dependent on Spain and France for this dye, so the indigo plantations flourished. The cultivation and processing of the indigo dye produced one-third the total value of the exports from the Southern slave plantations before the Revolutionary War.

Cotton Plantations
Cotton plants prosper in dry, hot sunny climates and rich soils. A cotton plant formed bolls containing seeds with many long hairy fibers. The cotton fibers need to be separated from the seeds. This process was so time consuming, and therefore expensive, that cotton was not grown until 1793 when Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin. The cotton gin was a machine that separated the cotton fibers from the seed ten times faster that the slaves could do by hand. The cotton industry and the number of cotton plantations boomed in the Southern colonies with the introduction of the cotton gin. Growing cotton as a crop required intensive labor - the existing slave plantations of the south increased the number of slaves to undertake the hard, back breaking work. Cotton plants had to be tended, weeds had to be chopped out. Picking took a few months during which time the cotton was put through the cotton gins, then pressed and finally baled before being shipped for market and export. Large-scale cultivation of cotton using slave labor was extremely profitable for the owners of the cotton plantations in the Colonial period of American history.

Sugar Plantations
Cane sugar was first imported to the 13 Southern colonies from the West Indies. However, after the US purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, the plantation owners followed the French lead and also began growing sugar cane on their plantations. The first years of sugar cane harvesting in Louisiana produced 300,000 tons of sugar per year so it was a profitable crop for the slave plantations of the southern colonies. Sugarcane is a tropical, grass that forms shoots at the base producing multiple stems. Sugarcane usually grows three to four meters high and is about five centimetres in diameter. The sugar cane stems grow into cane stalk from which the sugar is extracted. Another product of sugar cane is molasses were was used to produce rum - a major trade export of the Northern colonies.
Slaves cutting Sugar Cane
Cane sugar was grown on the sugar plantations. Sugar is best grown on relatively flat, fertile land. The early sugar plantations had an extensive use of slaves because sugar was considered as a cash crop exhibiting economies of scale in its cultivation. Sugar was most efficiently grown on the existing large slave plantations of the South. The construction of sugar cane fields to create the sugar plantations was an arduous task.

Rows of furrows about 1ft wide were dug to plant the sugar canes

Seeds were planted by hand at one-yard intervals

Before canes are harvested the sugar fields were burnt to remove leaves and weeds

During sugar harvesting the cane was cut at the lower stem, leaving the rest to produce more crops

Sugar cane crops could be cut and produced up to 4 times without having to be replanted

The slaves on the sugar plantations, including men, women, and children, had to endure the backbreaking work of planting rows upon rows of sugar cane seeds. Slaves in the sugar plantations were expected to plant between 5,000 - 8,000 seeds in order to produce one acre of sugar.

Plantations

Interesting Facts and information the Plantations of Colonial America

Slave Plantations

Fast Facts and info about Plantations in the Southern colonies

The Plantations is great resource for kids

Social Studies Homework help for kids on Plantations

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Check out this site for facts about the Slave Plantations in Colonial America. The Slave Plantations of the Southern Colonies. Fast facts about tobacco, sugar, rice, indigo and cotton Plantations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
slide 2 of 3

History in a New Light

Plimoth Patuxet Museums brings to life the history of Plymouth Colony and the Indigenous homeland. Major exhibits include the Patuxet Homesite, 17th-Century English Village, Mayflower II and Plimoth Grist Mill.

Planning your first visit? Here's what to expect!

Learn More!

A Lifetime of Learning for All People

Community. Conflict. Collaboration. Leadership. Faith. Self-government. Gratitude. Ideas as relevant today as they were 400 years ago!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
History in a New Light Plimoth Patuxet Museums brings to life the history of Plymouth Colony and the Indigenous homeland. Major exhibits include the Patuxet Homesite, 17th-Century English Village, Mayflower II and Plimoth Grist Mill.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Totally Touchless Ticketing

Your admission ticket is your key to interpreter-guided historic sites, trades, gardens, staged performances, as well as access to the newly expanded and updated Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. Purchase your tickets online and skip the line.

Get Tickets

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Your admission ticket is your key to interpreter-guided historic sites, trades, gardens, staged performances, as well as access to the newly expanded and updated Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. Purchase your tickets online and skip the line. Get Tickets

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Scholastic News Edition 5/6 | Current Nonfiction for Grade 5 and 6

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Fifth- and sixth-grade students love Scholastic News magazine because it's filled with topics that interest them! Teachers love it because it builds knowledge and nonfiction reading skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Scholastic News Edition 5/6 | Current Nonfiction for Grade 5 and 6

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Fifth- and sixth-grade students love Scholastic News magazine because it's filled with topics that interest them! Teachers love it because it builds knowledge and nonfiction reading skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Scholastic News Edition 5/6 | Current Nonfiction for Grade 5 and 6

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Fifth- and sixth-grade students love Scholastic News magazine because it's filled with topics that interest them! Teachers love it because it builds knowledge and nonfiction reading skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How Colonial Americans Made Clothing from Wool

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
BASED ON THE BIBLE: EDUCATION IN THE NEW ENGLAND COLONIES

In the New England colonies, the Puritans built their society almost entirely on the precepts of the Bible. The Puritans, in particular, valued education, because they believed that Satan was keeping those who couldn't read from the scriptures. According to The American Colonial Gazette, about two-thirds of Puritan men and one-third of Puritan women could sign their names -- the accepted standard of literacy for the time.

Many young Puritans, primarily boys ages six to eight, learned reading, spelling, and prayers at a "dame school," run very much like a home day care. Later, either the boys went on to a Latin grammar school to prepare for college and an eventual religious or political career or they trained in a trade. Girls usually continued their education -- in household skills -- at home.

A PRACTICAL MATTER: EDUCATION IN THE MIDDLE COLONIES

In the middle colonies, where, according to the Gazette, about half the adults could sign their names, colonial leaders agreed that education was important but were not concerned with providing it. The decision of whether to educate children was left to individual families until 1683, when a Pennsylvania law was passed, requiring that all children be taught to read and write and be trained in a useful trade. Pennsylvania's first school was established that same year.

A variety of local religious groups ran most schools in the middle colonies and stressed the practical aspects of education. All boys learned a skill or trade. Depending on their social class, they might also study classical languages, history and literature, mathematics, and natural science. Girls were tutored at home in a variety of household and social skills.

A QUESTION OF CLASS: EDUCATION IN THE SOUTHERN COLONIES

In the southern colonies, children generally began their education at home. Because the distances between farms and plantations made community schools impossible, plantation owners often hired tutors to teach boys math, classical languages, science, geography, history, etiquette, and plantation management. Most then completed their education in England. A governess usually taught the girls enough reading, writing, and arithmetic to run a household and the social skills to attract a husband.

Class differences were most pronounced in the South, where only upper-class men were widely educated. The Gazette reports that, in Virginia, literacy among the male gentry was almost 100 percent, and only 40 percent of laborers, 25 percent of upper class women, and 1 percent of slaves could sign their names.

© 2000 by Education World®. Permission is granted to teachers to reproduce this skill page for classroom use.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Education World ® Lesson Planning Skills Page: Education In The Colonies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In the New England colonies, the Puritans built their society almost entirely on the precepts of the Bible. The Puritans, in particular, valued education, because they believed that Satan was keeping those who couldn't read from the scriptures.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Education in the Thirteen American Colonies

If you were a school-age person in colonial America, you might have gone to a public or private school, just like you would today. But what you learned and how you learned it have changed through the years.

the New England colonies, parents believed that their children should learn about Christianity. To that end, parents taught their children to read so they could read the Bible. And once those kids knew how to read, they could read school books as well. New England villages having more than 100 families set up In grammar schools, which taught boys Latin and math and other subjects needed to get into college. And although girls could read, they weren't allowed to go to grammar school or to college.

Middle Colonies schools were also largely religious but taught the teachings of one religion. If you were a Catholic, you learned about the Catholic religion. Most schools were private. Students also learned other subjects so they could get into college. Again, girls weren't allowed to attend, unless they were Quakers.

School-age kids in the Southern Colonies were taught at home, for the most part, by their parents or by private tutors. When these kids became teenagers, they would then go off to college or to Europe. As in the other colonies, Southern girls did not go to school.

were generally small, not like the large ones many kids go to today. Kids learned to read from special books called Schools hornbooks.

Kids in colonial America were taught a trade, usually the one their fathers did, so they could continue the family business when their fathers retired. Often, kids would go to school and learn a trade.

Graphics courtesy of ArtToday

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Education in the Thirteen American Colonies If you were a school-age person in colonial America, you might have gone to a public or private school, just like you would today. But what you learned and how you learned it have changed through the years.

# 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.readable_text
For Kids - The New England Colonies

The New England colonies were composed of the colonies of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts.

In the New England colonies, land was given to a colony by the crown (the king or queen of England.) In these early days of settlement, a colony was not a state. A colony was a business. Each colony was in the business of sending riches back to England in exchange for money, tools, and supplies they needed in their colony. Each colony had a central government. The central government of each New England colony divided their own colony into pieces called towns.

Towns varied greatly in size. But the average town was about 100 square miles (10 miles long and 10 miles wide). Towns were populated by assignment at first - the central government of the colony not only assigned a site for the town, they also assigned a group of people to that town. This initial group was made up of about 30 or 40 households, or about 150-200 people. Most of the people in a group knew each other, and had a common lifestyle back in England or in another settlement. This was done to keep arguments at a minimum. It was also done to keep control. People in a town had the freedom to govern themselves as long as they understood that the colony was in charge of all the towns, and the king of England was in charge of all the colonies; this was understood.

The core of the "town" was the village. There was one street that ran down the middle of the village, with houses on either side. There was a "green", a central park, in approximately the middle. The green held the meeting house, which was also the church in most towns. The militia (the men of the village) gathered to practice on the green. People gathered on the green to chat. Each villager owned the plot of land that held their house. They also owned a plot of land, or several plots scattered about, in the land that surrounded the village. They could sell the land or all their "holdings" (which included their house in the village), as long as the villagers found the new owner acceptable.

The poor were assigned the worse farm plots and lived at the edge of the village. The rich were assigned the best plots and lived near the meeting house. But for the most part, people in a town shared good and bad fortune. They worshiped together. They governed together. They tried to regulate everything, from what a craftsman could charge to the amount of the fine for using bad language. They did not appreciate interference from other towns. A town was a unit. Each town had its own character.

The "town" approach did continue into the early 18th century, but it never got much beyond the New England colonies. The New York colony had town meetings, but it was voluntary. In the New England colonies, town meetings were required forms of government.

The tight hold the New World towns initially held on the early settlers through the establishment of colonial central government approved "towns" soon disappeared. Three things made a huge difference - an abundance of wood, countless fresh-water streams, and seemingly endless land. Slowly, people started to expand beyond the towns. If they didn't like the way they were treated, they could leave, as their courage and other town boundaries allowed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The 13 Colonies for Kids - New England Colonies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The New England colonies were composed of the colonies of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. In the New England colonies, land was given to a colony by the crown (the king or queen of England.) In these early days of settlement, a colony was not a state.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Middle Colonies were composed of what is today the states of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Because the soil was rich in the Middle colonies, farmers were able to grow more grain than they could use. They began selling grain to other colonies and to England, shipping out of the big ports in Philadelphia and New York. Because of this, the middle colonies became known as the Breadbasket colonies.

The Middle Colonies were more cosmopolitan and tolerant than the New England colonies. A lot of the success of Pennsylvania and Delaware is owed to William Penn. Under his guidance, Philadelphia became a fabulous city, with broad, tree-shaded streets, stone and brick houses, and a bustling port. Manhattan flourished under the Dutch. The Germans were probably the best farmers in the Middle Colonies.

The middle colonies were enriched by the culture of people from all over Europe, including Quakers, Scots, Irish, Dutch, French, Danes, Norwegians, Swedes, and more. Farms flourished and craftsmen established successful businesses. There was a brisk business in trade. Ships docked at the New York harbor in huge numbers, fighting for space to unload. New ships were under construction. Coopers made thousands of barrels for storing cargo. Chandlers were merchants who sold everything needed to stock and repair ships. Ships carried food and timber from the New World to the Caribbean islands and returned with coarse brown sugar. Rum and tobacco shipped to England fetched high prices. There were mills to grind grain, sugar refineries, bakeries and taverns, fine craftsmen getting high prices for beautiful goods. Merchants became rich.

There was a dark side to all of this. Some ships returned with slaves. Caribbean and African slaves were traded on ships in the harbor. Smugglers unloaded goods from the ships at night to avoid paying the import tax, which limited monies towns and cities could spend on keeping the streets clean and safe. At night, thieves roamed the unlit streets, targeting anyone really, but especially fashionable English gentlemen in showy outfits.

Still, port towns continued to boom with trade. By the 1700s, cities were divided into wealthy merchants and poor and enslaved workers, and life for many had moved from pleasant to tense.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The 13 Colonies for Kids - The Middle Colonies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Middle Colonies were composed of what is today the states of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Because the soil was rich in the Middle colonies, farmers were able to grow more grain than they could use. They began selling grain to other colonies and to England, shipping out of the big ports in Philadelphia and New York.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The New England Colonies: Establishment and Settlement of the 13 original colonies

Map of New England
The Map highlights the region of New England. The four New England Colonies of Colonial America included the colonies of New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Map of the 13 Colonies

●

New England Colonies

●

Middle Colonies

●

Southern Colonies

New England Colonies Chart
The New England Colonies Chart provides important information and interesting facts about each of the 4 Colonies of New England including the date the colony was established, the system of Colonial government, religion, and the names of famous people associated with the founding and establishment each New England colony. The New England Colonies Chart provides the ability to see at a glance the differences between the regions on a chart.

New England Colonies Chart

Date Name of Colony
or Settlement Government Religion Towns Famous
People

1630

Massachusetts Colony

Charter

Puritan

Boston, Quincy, Plymouth, Salem, Lexington and Concord

John Winthrop

1636

Rhode Island Colony

Charter

Religious Freedom

Providence, Portsmouth and Newport

Roger Williams
Anne Hutchinson

1636

Connecticut Colony

Charter

Puritan

Hartford, New Haven,
Wethersfield and Windsor

Thomas Hooker

1638

New Hampshire Colony

Royal

Puritan

Dover and Exeter

John Mason

New England Colonies Chart

Facts about the New England Colonies of Colonial America. The New England Colonies are also referred to as the Facts and Information about the New England Colonies
North Colonies:

Fact 1 - Geography: The geography of New England consisted of mountains thick with trees, rivers and poor rocky soil that was difficult to farm and unsuitable for crops

Fact 2 - Natural Resources: Fish, whales, forests. New England imported agricultural products from other colonies

Fact 3 - Religion: No religious freedom as the Puritans did not tolerate any other form of religion

Fact 4 - Climate: Coldest of the three regions, mild and short summers leading to long, cold winters but less disease than in the warmer colonies

Fact 5 - Trade / Exports: Fish, whale products, ships, timber products, furs, maple syrup, copper, livestock products, horses, rum, whiskey and beer - refer to Colonial Times

Fact 6: Farming was difficult for crops like wheat because of the poor soil but corn, pumpkins, rye, squash and beans were raised

New England Colonies Colonies - Economic Activity & Trade
There were considerable differences between the New England, Middle and Southern regions. Economic activities and trade were dependant of the environment in which the Colonists lived. The geography and climate impacted the trade and economic activities of New England Colonies. In the New England towns along the coast, the colonists made their living fishing, whaling, and shipbuilding. The fish included cod, mackerel, herring, halibut, hake, bass and sturgeon. Whale oil was a valuable resource as it could be used in lamps. Farming was difficult in New England for crops like wheat because of the poor soil but corn, pumpkins, rye, squash and beans were planted. The Northern Colonies of New England concentrated in manufacture and focussed on town life and industries such as ship building and the manufacture and export of rum. See Triangular Trade.

New England in the 1700's - For additional facts and info refer to Colonial Society .

Government in the New England Colonies
All of the systems of government in the New England Colonies elected their own legislature, they were all democratic, they all had a governor, governor's court, and a court system. The government systems used by the New England Colonies were Royal of Charter. Definitions of the government systems are as follows:

Royal Government: The Royal Colonies were ruled directly by the English monarchy

Charter Government: The Charter Colonies were generally self-governed, and their charters were granted to the colonists.

For additional facts and information refer to Colonial Government.

and they did not tolerate any other religions - refer to Religion in the New England Colonies
The religion practised in New England was strictly Puritan Pilgrims and Puritans and Religion in the Colonies .
Original Names of the New England Colonies
The original names of the New England Colonies were the Province of New Hampshire, later New Hampshire, the Province of Massachusetts Bay, later Massachusetts and Maine, the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, later Rhode Island and the Connecticut Colony, later Connecticut.

Colonial America Time Period New England Colonies Timeline
Discover interesting information and facts about the history of the New England colonies. For a more comprehensive history timeline detailing specific events relating to all of the 13 Colonies refer to . This New England Colonies Timeline provides a list detailing key events and dates of this amazing period in Colonial history. The four New England Colonies of Colonial America included the colonies of New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Rhode Island and Connecticut. A comprehensive list of the key events which are important to the New England Colonies Timeline. Additional interesting information can be found in Facts about the 13 Colonies.

New England Colonies Timeline

New England Colonies Timeline

1620

The Pilgrims, the founders of Plymouth, arrived in 1620. John Mason and Sir Ferdinando Gorges, the "Father of English Colonization in North America" had received land in northern New England which became the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1628. John Mason eventually formed New Hampshire and the land of Sir Ferdinando Gorges led to Maine. Massachusetts Bay Colony controlled both regions until New Hampshire was given a royal charter in 1679 and Maine was made its own state in 1820.

King James II appoints Sir Edmund Andros to serve as Captain General and Governor in Chief of New England. Sir Edmund Andros causes dissension with the colonists as he does not have to answer to any elected assembly

Salem Witchcraft Trials - Hysteria over witchcraft accusations consumes Salem Village, Massachusetts

1765 The Stamp Act of 1765

New England Colonies Timeline

New England Colonies Timeline - 1607 to 1776

Map of the New England Colonies

New England Colonies
The New England Colonies article provides important information and interesting facts at a glance about the New England Colonies including the date the colonies were established, the systems of government, religions, details of trade and the economic activities in the New England Colonies. The names of important people associated with the founding and establishment of the New England Colonies. A helpful, illustrated educational resource for teachers, kids and children.

New England Colonies

Interesting Facts and information via the New England Colonies

New England Colonies history timeline

Fast Facts and info with the New England Colonies

The New England Colonies is great resource for kids

Social Studies Homework help for kids on New England Colonies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Check out this site for facts about the New England Colonies. The Government, Geography and Religion of the New England Colonies. Fast facts about the New England Colonies

# 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 Interactive Map

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Below is an interactive map of America’s 13 Colonies and important cities. Click on any of the colonies or cities to learn all about them. Below the map is an online scavenger hunt.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Colonial America for Kids: The Thirteen Colonies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids learn about the history of the thirteen British American Colonies that formed the United States including when they were each founded, the colonial regions, and fun facts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Colonial America for Kids: The Thirteen Colonies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kids learn about the history of the thirteen British American Colonies that formed the United States including when they were each founded, the colonial regions, and fun facts.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ultimate 13 Colonies Review (Ace Your Test in 10 Minutes!)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The History of America's 13 Colonies | Educational Rap for Social Studies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Thirteen Colonies: the New England Colonies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Founding of the 13 Colonies | History

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
13 American Colonies | US History | Kids Academy

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
virtual tour - george washington's mount vernon

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Virtual Tour - George Washington’s Mount Vernon

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Humphreys House is the birthplace of the Revolutionary War officer and friend of George Washington who later became our nation's first ambassador. It serves as the Society's headquarters, as well as home of our unique Day in 1762 Program. More than just a wonderful interactive tool for educating our region's children, the Humphreys House is also a museum dedicated to its famous resident and the community he called home.

The David Humphreys House is open every weekday from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm. Parking, and the Society Office, is located in the rear of the building. We are located at 37 Elm Street Ansonia, CT 06401. To ensure a quality visit, please call ahead to schedule a tour, as our A Day in 1762 program takes place during the school year and the museum is not accessible during this program. Call (203) 735-1908 or email info@derbyhistorical.org

Some Scenes From Inside the House

History of the Humphreys House and its Occupants

In 1690, the town of Derby voted to build a new house to serve its minister. At that time, it was the town's responsibility to hire and maintain a minister, and a house was necessary to attract one. A house had already been built for the Reverend Bowers, but his widow continued to occupy it after his death. Not about to throw a widow of a departed minister into the street, the town voted to erect a new house. The General David Humphreys House was finished in 1698, though construction may have started as early as 1695. It is referred to as a "Mansion House" in old Derby land records.

The first occupant was the Reverend John James, who also served as town clerk and was the first school master. Born in Wethersfield, and a Harvard graduate, Rev. James served from 1694 to 1706. He resigned for health reasons. Although Derby voted to give him the house and land outright, James returned to Wethersfield, selling the house to Reverend Joseph Moss.

A New Haven native, Rev. Moss graduated from Harvard in 1699, and received a degree from Yale in 1702. Although he commenced preaching in Derby almost immediately after Rev. James' resignation, he declined ordination until 1707. He was an active farmer, and worked toward the improvement of Derby's public schools. He also served as Derby's Town Clerk. Moss served the parish for a number of years until his own death on January 23, 1731.

Rev. Moss was predeceased by his first wife, Dorcas Roswell. His second wife, Abigail Russell, continued to reside in the home after his death. The house was rebuilt to roughly its present dimensions in the 1730s, though it is unclear if it was the Widow Moss (who was a woman of means) or the Humphreys family who reconstructed the home.

After Moss' death, there was some debate on choosing a new minister, which lasted for some time. This was partly because of the split between the traditional "Old Light" and the fire and brimstone "New Light" philosophies in the Congregational Church. The town eventually hired Rev. Daniel Humphreys of Simsbury, a New Light, in 1734. Rev. Humphreys bought the house from Abigail Moss around 1735.

Partly in reaction to the split in the Congregational Church, a number of Episcopal churches were organized in Connecticut about this time. Derby's small Episcopal church was completed in 1746, across the street from the Humphreys House, and a cemetery developed around it. The church was used until a second, larger edifice was completed down the hill in 1799. Shortly after the second church was dedicated, the first church was moved (a common process back then) across the street and was connected to the Humphreys House, although the cemetery remained. We know the former church had to be moved after 1799, but before 1820, because Reverend Richard Mansfield, who served the church from 1748 to 1820, is buried where the pulpit once was. The addition served as a summer kitchen - a quantum leap in the early 19the century which removed the hot cooking process from the home's main, central hearth, to a self contained, ventilated side of the house.

Getting back to Rev. Humphreys, in his day there were two major settlements along the east banks of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Rivers in the Old Town of Derby. The Narrows, along today's Route 34, was an area which thrived on shipping, ship building, and commerce. Uptown was a more affluent section, and contained the Town Green on Academy Hill.

Elm Street, where the Humphreys House is located, was part of Uptown. The house was beautifully furnished, and was the focal point of many social gatherings. Rev. Humphreys married the widow Sarah Riggs Bowers in 1739. She was called "Lady Humphreys" for her aristocratic bearing and demeanor, as well as her great beauty and intelligence.

Daniel and Sarah had four sons and a daughter, all of whom survived into adulthood. The fourth son, General David Humphreys, was born here July 10, 1752, on a hot, sultry day, when the flowers in the garden Lady Humphreys tended were drooping, parched, and wilted from the heat. Gen. Humphreys served as aide-de-camp for George Washington during the American Revolution, was our nation's first ambassador to a foreign country, and founded one of America's first 'factory villages' in modern day Seymour. Although David Humphreys never owned the house which became his namesake, it was his his family's ancestral homestead his entire life - the place he always returned due to the fact he never owned a substantial homestead of his own. Although we cannot claim his friend George Washington slept here, reportedly General Thadeusz Kosciuszko, hero of both the American and Polish Revolutions, apparently did visit David at the house.

Rev. Daniel Humphreys, died September 2,1787, having been the town's Congregational minister for 54 years. His beloved wife predeceased him by only five weeks, departing on July 29, 1787.

David's older brother John (1744-1807) lived on 71 Elm Street, and the John Humphreys House is part of the Ansonia Historic District.

Another brother, Elijah (1746-1785), was a Major in the Connecticut Militia during the Revolutionary War, and had three horses shot out from under him. He married Anna Mansfield (1756-1841), the daughter of Rev. Richard Mansfield, in 1774. It must have been true love - the son of the Congregational minister marrying a daughter of the town's Episcopal minister - on the eve of the Revolutionary War, with the families finding themselves on opposing sides.

When Rev. Mansfield was forced to flee Derby due to his Tory sympathies, it was Elijah who convinced his father-in-law to return to Derby on condition he preach under guard. Fearing rough and disrespectful treatment at the hands of common soldiers, it was arranged that Elijah and his brother John would personally guard Derby's distinguished Episcopal minister - probably as much to protect him from angry townspeople as to prevent him from publicly speaking against the American cause.

Elijah and Anna resided in the Humphreys House their entire lives, caring for Daniel and Sarah in their old age. They had five children of their own. Elijah died at sea in 1785, and was buried on Martinique. Ironically, he has two memorial tombstones - the Humphreys family erected one at Uptown Burial Ground, and the Mansfield family put one at the Episcopal Cemetery! The home was willed to Elijah's son Elijah Jr. (1779-1834). He in turn sold the home to his sister Betsey (1781-1864) and her husband Thomas Vose, on the condition that their mother Anna Humphreys be allowed to remain there the rest of her life.

Thomas Vose (1772-1845) was an affluent sea captain, and David Humphreys' major business partner in the Humphreysville venture. He sailed the first steamboat, the General Lafayette, up the Housatonic to Derby in 1824. The home was known as "The Captain Vose Place" for much of the 19th century. Following the Mansfield family traditions, Thomas and Betsey were strict Episcopalians, which probably explains how the old Episcopal Church was attached to the former Congregational parsonage in the first decade of the 1800s. It was also Thomas Vose who constructed the dry-laid retaining wall in front of the Humphreys House. The family is buried across the street in the Episcopal Cemetery.

Albert Sherwood, of Derby, remembered the Humphreys House and its occupants in the mid 19th century, recalling "I knew two of these children of Elijah and Anna Mansfield Humphreys, viz.: Sally, widow of Judge Austin, and Betsy, widow of Thomas Vose. They were very old when I was a boy. They died respectively in 1864 and 1865. They were dear, delightful old ladies, and although residing in and owning the old homestead of their grandfather Humphreys, the Puritan divine, were the most devout adherents of the Episcopal Church".

The Humphreys House in the late 19th century. The Remer House is beyond.

The house then became the property of Abby Ann Sherwood, a relative. The house finally left the extended Humphreys family when it was sold to Thomas Hennessy in 1885. Albert Sherwood, now an attorney, handled the transaction, and he later recalled in his 1924 book Memories of Old Derby: "As administrator of the estate of Thomas Vose Sherwood, a great grandson of Dr. Mansfield and the last to inherit from the old stock, I signed and executed the title deed which conveyed this property into the possession of strangers after it had been owned and occupied by these aristocratic old time families and their descendants for one hundred and fifty years".

In The Life and Times of David Humphreys (New York and London: G.P. Putnam's Sons; by Frank Landon Humphreys; 1917) the author states "this dwelling still stands pathetic amid its neglected grounds, yet bearing marks of its ancient stateliness... only two great elms now remain of the row which fringed the boundary of the property along the road. No trace of the gardens is left save some irises, narcissi and other flowers of the bulb variety- which defy man's ingratitude and come up year after year in the bed on the east side of the house and beneath the parlor windows...In the window panes, here and there are a few of the ancient lead ornamentation's which descended like garlands from the top panes...The old brass knocker was wrenched off by some vandal, as recently as the spring of 1902".

Ansonia historian Mrs. Mabel Stivers, whose articles on the Valley's old houses graced the pages of the local newspaper Evening Sentinel in the 1920s, resided in the house a couple years until her death in 1930. She is also credited with spearheading the drive to restore the ancient Bare Plains Cemetery on Wakelee Avenue in Ansonia.

The house became part of the City of Ansonia in 1889, and it is recognized as that municipality's oldest structure. As early as 1955, the Historical Society was on record as favoring preservation of the old home. For many years, the house was in possession of the Humphreys House Association, organized by several public minded persons for the purpose of preserving the old house, which had been converted into a three family apartment. The Home Trust Company of Derby served as trustee, collecting rents and paying bills. The house was turned over to the Derby Historical Society as a Public Trust by the Superior Court of New Haven in September of 1961. This action occurred only two months after the Commodore Isaac Hull House, an equally important local landmark on Derby's Commerce Street, was razed.

Humphreys House before restoration

The Derby Historical Society unanimously voted to restore the Humphreys House on June 4, 1964. Much of the Society's holdings were stored in the upper floors of the Howard and Barber building on Main Street, Derby (razed in 2003). Extensive renovations began in 1976, and the house was the City of Ansonia's Bicentennial Project. The restoration totaled $162,000. The David Humphreys House opened to the public with much fanfare, on May 3, 1980. Thousands visited the first weekend. The Day in 1762 Educational Program began later that Fall.

Humphreys House around 1997. The Elm Tree in front was removed in 1998.

Today, Humphreys House serves as the headquarters of the Derby Historical Society. It has been restored to its mid eighteenth century appearance, incorporating elements of Lower Naugatuck Valley history from the pre-colonial, colonial, revolutionary, and federal periods. Three times a week during the school year, the house hosts fifth grade classes for the Society's acclaimed Day in 1762 Program, an interactive, role-playing program which allows children to experience life as David Humphreys would have when he was their age.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Humphreys House is the birthplace of the Revolutionary War officer and friend of George Washington who later became our nation's first ambassador. It serves as the Society's headquarters, as well as home of our unique Day in 1762 Program.