How did the southern colonies differ from the Middle and New England colonies?

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Christina, a retired primary school teacher, turned to writing several years ago and loves being in the ‘word game’.Her teaching journey led her through several southern African countries and teaching English as a second language fostered a love of words and word meanings.Christina writes children’s books and parenting blogs.She is proud to be associated with FundZamobi an outreach programme to promote reading amongst children and young adults in South Africa.Christina lives in a farming area in the Natal Midlands.She enjoys country walks with her dog and writing from the comfort of her home that over looks the Drakensberg mountains.

Colonial America depended on the natural environment for the basic needs of the people and the colony. Available natural resources determined each region’s unique specialty. Specialized economies quickly emerged as a result of human and environmental interaction.

Colonial America had regional differences for establishment of each colony. The southern colonies were established as economic ventures, seeking natural resources to provide wealth to the mother country and themselves. In contrast, the early New England colonists were primarily religious reformers and Separatists. They were seeking a new way of life to glorify God and for the greater good of their spiritual life. The middle colonies welcomed people from diverse lifestyles. Their social-political structure included all three varieties: villages, cities and small farms.

There were also differences in the human resources. New England had craftsmen skilled in shipbuilding. The Mid-Atlantic had a workforce of farmers, fishermen, and merchants. The Southern Colonies were mostly agricultural with few cities and limited schools.

New England’s economy at first specialized in nautical equipment. Later the region developed mills and factories. The environment was ideal for water-powered machinery (mills), allowing for products such as woven cloth and metal tools. The middle colonies had rich farmland and a moderate climate, making it more suitable to grow grain and livestock. The coastal lowland and bays provided harbors, thus the middle colonies were able to provide trading opportunities where the three regions met in the market towns and cities. The southern colonies had fertile farmlands that contributed to the rise of cash crops such as rice, tobacco, and indigo. Plantations developed and slavery allowed the wealthy and large landowners to cultivate large tracts of land.

For the people of the South, life was rugged and rural, while the people of the North were connected to the church and village community.

The Middle Colonies included Pennsylvania, Delaware, New York, and New Jersey. The geography of this region featured a warmer climate with fertile soil, flat land, easily-navigable rivers, and wide valleys making it perfect for farming and growing crops. Wealthy farmers grew cash crops and raised livestock. Mining and trading were also important aspects of the economy here. Over time, cities grew and urban merchants sold and traded goods with people throughout the other colonies. Compared to other regions, the people of the middle colonies supported religious freedom and tolerance and had a diverse population with settlers arriving from many areas in Europe.

The Southern Colonies included the first English colony of Virginia, and grew to include Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The geography included rich, fertile soil with broad coastal plains that made it possible for large plantations to grow tobacco, rice, and indigo. The majority of these plantations featured a labor force of enslaved Black people. These enslaved men, women, and children had few, if any, rights and often saw their families torn apart at the whim of the plantation owner. Enslaved children were even put to work as young as age three, weeding fields, carrying drinking water, or helping in the home.

Smaller farms owned by subsistence farmers also existed across the Southern Colonies. Often, the people working these would grow crops for their families with little left over to sell or trade. Indentured servants also arrived in the South who would work for 5-7 years in exchange for their passage to North America.

The Church of England (also known as the Anglican Church) was the dominant religion in the region. Most settlers to the South did not come for religious freedom like they did in the northern colonies. Therefore, they often maintained their allegiance to the established Church of England.