The thirteen colonies made up three different regions: the New England Region, the Middle Region, and the Southern Region. Each region had many differences.
NEW ENGLAND COLONIES:
New Hampshire
Massachusetts
Connecticut
Rhode Island
MIDDLE COLONIES:
New York
Pennsylvania
New Jersey
Delaware
SOUTHERN COLONIES :
Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
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
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 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
During this time, England practiced and economic policy called mercantilism. The goal of mercantilism is for a country to export more goods to foreign countries then it would import. To produce so many goods, England needed more resources than it had. England expected their colonies in America to provide raw materials to fuel its industries. Additionally, England could sell manufactured goods to the colonists.
Each of the thirteen colonies developed and used its natural resources and capital resources to produce goods and services.
Each colony's location and geographic features influenced what people produced. Why? Location, geography, and resources make some industries more efficient than others. Specialization in industries also allowed the 13 American Colonies to focus on producing what they could the do best.
Capital Resources: Human made materials used to produce goods and services
ex. buildings, machines, computers, tools
Natural Resources: Things that come directly from nature used to produce goods and services.
ex. minerals, trees, water, soil