Life In the New England Colonies

Life for New Englanders revolved around the meeting house. The meeting house was the building used for the church, the courthouse, the town hall and the community center. Men would meet to have town meetings at the meeting houses. At the meetings they would vote on laws and for government officials.

Since they were unable to raise cash crops due to long winter and poor soil, New Englanders relied on fishing, fur trading, and shipbuilding to make their money. There were no plantations in the north, so there were very few slaves.

New Englanders valued education. Massachusetts passed a law that stated that any town with more than 50 households had to have a school. The first college in America, Harvard University was founded in Boston in 1636.

Climate: Cold

Soil: Poor

New England Colonies:

1. New Hampshire

2. Massachusetts

3. Rhode Island

4. Connecticut

Life In the Middle Colonies

The Middle Colonies had formerly been part of the Dutch New Netherlands. New Amsterdam became New York City and New York continued to be the trading and banking leader of all the American Colonies.

While there was some farming in the Middle Colonies, most cash crops were grown in the south. Over time, other industries developed. There were farms that raised livestock. Iron ore was discovered in Pennsylvania and the iron was manufactured into simple tools and weapons.

The Middle Colonies had a large immigrant population. They were the most tolerant and diverse of all the colonies.

Climate: Moderate

Soil: Moderate

The Middle Colonies:

5. New York

6. Pennsylvania

7. New Jersey

8. Delaware

Life In the Southern Colonies

The south had a lot plantations that grew cash crops, including tobacco. Each plantation was like its own town, and people lived far apart. There was almost no manufacturing or any other businesses.

Because plantations were large and few, a small number of wealthy people lived in the south. The plantation owners, who were a small percentage of the population controlled almost all the money and power.

Even though only a small percentage of the citizens owned slaves, the agricultural economy depended on slavery. There were more slaves than slave owners. Slaveholders lived in fear of rebellion.

Climate: Hot

Soil: Good

Southern Colonies:

9. Maryland

10. Virginia

11. North Carolina

12. South Carolina

13. Georgia