Southern Colonies

The Colonies

New England Colonies

Rhode Island

Connecticut

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

Middle Colonies

Delaware

Pennsylvania

New York

New Jersey

Southern Colonies

Maryland

Virginia

North Carolina

South Carolina

Georgia

Southern Colonies

• Settler Origins: Mostly English, German, Scottish

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• Push factors: Economic depression in the woolen trade, Population surplus

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• Pull factors: Economic opportunity. There was initially the promise of gold…..but then cash crop agriculture.

Southern Colonies

• Geographic Characteristics:
• excellent wetlands, full of riverways and bays.
• Climate is warm with plenty of rain.
• Soil is excellent for farming and growing season is long.

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Jamestown: 1st Permanent English Settlement in America.

• King James I allowed the London Company to settle in a region called Virginia.
• The first 105 colonists arrived in America on April 26, 1607.
• Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America.
• Rolfe also introduced the cultivation of tobacco, which quickly became the colony’s most important cash crop.

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Virginia Grows

• By the 1670s, Virginia’s population has increased significantly
• More land is available to grow tobacco due to Indian deaths
• Wealthy farmers own most of the fertile land, while poor farmers struggle

Southern Colonies

• Political Structure:
• Virginia grows into the biggest and most prestigious colony.

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Key Vocabulary

• Jamestown - The first permanent English settlement in North America
• Cash Crop - Crops such as tobacco, indigo, and rice that are grown to sell for a profit.
• Plantations - Large farms to grow cash crops
• Indentured Servants - People who received a free trip to the colonies by agreeing to work without pay for a number of years.

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Bacon’s Rebellion

• As the colony expanded, officials raised taxes
• Poor colonists, many former indentured servants, protested
• Disagreed with government policy promoting trade with Indians and recognizing Indian rights to land
• Nathaniel Bacon led a rebellion, in 1676, attacking friendly Indians
• When the governor tried to stop him, Bacon and his followers burned Jamestown
• The rebellion ended when Bacon died of fever and his followers disbanded

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The African slave trade

• In the 1700’s, Slaves were brought from Africa to work on southern plantations

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• More to come on the slave trade later. . .

North and South Carolina

• Carolina was founded in 1663 following the success of Virginia.
• It was divided into North and South Carolina in 1712.

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• South Carolina had large rice plantations with many slaves.

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• North Carolina, being more mountainous, was less suited to large-scale plantations and instead developed around small farms.

Maryland: A Refuge for Catholics

• English Catholics came to America to escape religious persecution.
• Maryland was founded as a refuge for Catholics by Lord Baltimore in 1634.
• The colony was successful, and many protestants began settling there as well, leading to conflict.
• The Maryland assembly passed the Toleration Act of 1649 making it illegal to restrict the rights of Christians
• Although it did not recognize the rights of non-Christians, it was the first law establishing religious tolerance in the colonies.

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Georgia

• Georgia was founded by James Oglethorpe as a refuge for debtors, or people who owe money, in 1733.
• He wanted a community of small farmers, so he outlawed slavery and limited land grants.
• Georgian landowners rejected these limits, and Georgia became a royal colony.
• Large rice plantations worked by many slaves were created, making Georgia’s economy much like its neighbor, South Carolina.

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