Colonial America



Colonial America England was among the first European nations to colonize what is now the United States. The English settled along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, establishing the Thirteen Colonies.The British ColoniesNew EnglandThe New England Colonies included Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire. People often lived in communities that were dependent on fishing. The people made their own clothes and shoes. There was a strong shipbuilding industry in New England because there was a large supply of timber and access to the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, fishing and trading were very important to the economy. Boston, New Bedford, Newburyport, Gloucester, and Salem were major ports in the region. Many people worked as skilled craftsmen and shopkeepers. New Englanders also exported furs to Europe. Farming was limited by the hilly terrain and rocky soil that was found there. Summers were mild, but winters were very cold. The New England Colonies were home to Puritans. The Puritans wanted to "purify" the Church of England. The Puritans living in New England were able to practice their religion in a way that they had not been able to do in England.Middle ColoniesThe Middle Colonies included New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The economy in this region was very agricultural and industrial. The area was known for its coastal lowlands (harbors and bays, wide and deep rivers) and its rich farmlands, as well as its moderate climate. These colonies are referred to as the "breadbasket colonies," because they grew so much food. Crops grown in the Middle Colonies included wheat, barley, and rye. Wheat and other grains grew on farms in Pennsylvania and New York. Pennsylvania also had many mills where wheat was ground into flour. Factories in Pennsylvania produced paper and textiles. Trade with England was very profitable in these colonies.Southern ColoniesThe Southern Colonies included Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. These colonies were mostly agricultural and had many plantations. A plantation was a large plot of land that had many acres of farmland and buildings. The people who lived there owned the land or worked the land. Many of the workers on plantations were African slaves. They first arrived in 1619.The humid climate helped southern plantations grow cotton, tobacco, rice, sugar, and indigo. In fact, tobacco was the first profitable crop grown in Virginia. Good harbors helped colonists sell their products to buyers in England, and rivers helped transport goods to other places in the colonies.Why England Colonized AmericaOne of the main reasons the first people from England settled America was for profit. England wanted to control areas of America in order to gain wealth from resources like gold and silver. There was little gold and silver in the thirteen colonies, but England soon found America's abundant natural resources such as furs and timber.Under mercantilism, the colonies were expected to participate in economic activities that benefited England. The American colonies would send natural resources back to England where they would be made into goods. For example, lumber was sent to England to be made into paper. These goods would then be sold back to the colonists. England did not allow the colonists to trade with other countries, even though most settlements had good ports and harbors. The colonists did not like being kept from trading with other countries and ended up smuggling many goods.The need for religious freedom was also a big motivation for colonization. This is because many people in England could not practice their beliefs freely. One of the groups that settled in America for religious reasons were the Pilgrims. When the Pilgrims arrived in North America, they were not prepared to live in their new environment. The Native Americans helped the Pilgrims in many ways. They showed the Pilgrims how to grow corn, a crop that was unfamiliar to them because it was not grown in Europe.Still other settlers came to escape the lack of land, resources, and jobs in Europe. They believed that in America they could find employment or become landowners.Colonial LifeIn all the colonies, new technology developed in the 1700s. Factories with new machinery were built that helped people produce items more quickly. In agriculture, people imported better strains of plants and used new tools. These developments allowed people to grow more crops.Artisans worked as craftsmen in towns and on plantations. They learned their craft by first working as apprentices.Women usually worked as caretakers, servants, and homemakers, yet they could not vote and had few chances for education. The wives of wealthy men, such as plantation owners, often would have servants to prepare food and do other jobs around the house. Wives would be expected to keep up the family's place in society by throwing parties and socializing with other wealthy families.Indentured servants were men and women who did not have enough money to travel to the colonies. They agreed to work for a set number of years without pay for the person who paid for their travel. During the 17th century, many of the white laborers in New England came to the New World this way. After an indentured servant worked for the agreed upon number of years, he or she was free.Slaves were captured in their native Africa and sold to slave traders. They were then shipped to the colonies where they were sold into slavery. They were owned as property for life with no rights at all. Children of slaves were born into slavery. Government in the ColoniesThe colonial settlements were early examples of representative government. The colonists were able to vote for people to represent them in the legislature of their colony. Even though they were ruled by England, they were not able to send elected representatives to England to speak for their interests. As the colonies grew and people became displeased with the actions of the king and Parliament, colonists began to want to be self-governed.The House of Burgesses was the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established in Virginia in 1619. The House of Burgesses was elected to represent the landowners of Virginia. While its decisions could be overruled by the governor, the council, or the directors, it enacted laws and gave landowners a voice in government.By the early to mid-1700s, many colonists were becoming more upset with English rule. The colonists believed they had been mistreated by the English government, and they began to desire their independence from England. For example, some of the colonists were not happy with the fact that there were English troops in the colonies. One of the complaints listed in the Declaration of Independence was that the king of England "kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislatures."Economic ConceptsPeople began settling in Colonial America in the early 1600s.Settlers came to America for economic reasons and for religious freedom.?They became farmers and tradesmen as they settled into colonial life.Reasons for settlement in Colonial AmericaThe first settlers in the colonies came for economic opportunities.?People wanted to buy land and grow crops to make money.?Most of the farmers and plantation owners settled in the Southern Colonies.?They became successful when they began growing crops like tobacco.Others came to America for religious freedom.?The Puritans, for example, came to America because they were not happy with the Church of England.?They wanted to "purify" the church.?They settled in the New England area.?The Pilgrims were also looking for a way to practice their own religion.?They wanted to break away from the Church of England.Colonial Life by RegionNew England?colonies were known for their shipbuilding abilities.?They had direct access to waterways, and states like Massachusetts was located right on the harbor.?For this reason, many of the first settlers came to the New England area.Mid-Atlantic?(or Middle) colonies were known for their flour milling.?They used water-powered mills to produce the largest amount of flour in the colonies.Southern?colonies were best known for the most plantations and farmland.?They grew crops of indigo, sugar, cotton.?Virginia was very profitable with tobacco.?In fact, agriculture became the most common way for colonists to earn a living.Because of this great amount of farming, the Southern colonies depended on slave ment on LessonCopyright ? 2014 Edmentum - All rights reserved.Physical and Human SystemsThroughout history, the?physical features?of North America have greatly affected the people living there.?Native Americans adapted?to their physical environment in order to survive.?Later, European settlers also adapted to this environment.Colonial adaptationsWhen European colonists settled in America, many of them were not used to the weather and environment.?They had to learn many techniques from the Native Americans.?For example, many settlers found food and made houses in the same ways that Native Americans did.Settlers grew crops in America that they had never seen in Europe.?They learned to grow maize (corn) and tomatoes, which were important crops of the Americas.The Thirteen Colonies had different physical features and climates based on their locations.?These differences caused the colonies to have different economies.The Appalachian Mountains formed a natural barrier to westward expansion of the Thirteen Colonies.?In the Proclamation of 1763, Britain stated that the area west of these mountains was to be Native American land.?Many settlers, however, moved west of the mountains anyway. ................
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