CHAPTER 5 CORE LESSON 1

PAGES 160-163SS4G2C, SS4H3A

Geography of the Colonies

How it all began!

During the 1600s & 1700s, many English settlers moved to North America for many reasons:

-a better chance to make a living -find freedoms they didn’t have at home

LIKE RELIGIONThese settlers established 13 colonies located

along the Atlantic OceanThe geography and climate of the 13 colonies

separated them into three different regions

13 English Colonies There are 13 English Colonies in North America

These 13 colonies formed THREE unique regions:

1. New England Colonies

2. Middle Colonies

3. Southern Colonies

New England Colonies: 1. Connecticut 2. Massachusetts3. New Hampshire 4. Rhode Island

Middle Colonies:5. Delaware 6. New Jersey7. New York 8. Pennsylvania

Southern Colonies: 9. Georgia 10. Maryland 11.North Carolina 12. South Carolina 13.Virginia

Map of the Original 13 Colonies

Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island

New

England

Colonies

New England Colony : Location and Climate

Four States form the New England Colonies:Connecticut, Massachusetts, New

Hampshire, Rhode Island

Geography -very rocky-soil was not rich with nutrients (mostly sand and rocks) -Climate was extreme– Summers were warm but winters were long and very cold-Grew wheat, oats, corn and peas-Natural resources: wood, fish, whales

A source of conflict

New England’s colonies were founded on lands where American Indians lived Indians and colonists disagreed about who owned the

land American Indians believed:

-the land was for everyone to use and that no one could truly own it-that when they sold land to colonists that they were only agreeing to share it

Colonists expected the Indians to move from the land once they sold it

The different views of ownership led to conflict

War breaks out!

In the 1630’s a war broke out between colonists and Pequot Indians The fight over the land became know as the Pequot

War War ended when colonists killed most of the Pequot

Indians The remaining living Indians either fled or became

enslaved

After the war, more colonists moved onto American Indian lands in New England Metacomet, a leader of a Indian tribe known to the

colonists as King Philip, wanted to avoid war but believed his people had to fight to stay on their lands Attacked Massachusetts villages Fighting spread across New England in battles known as

King Philips War

Indians are defeated

Colonists had better weapons and more soldiers than Metacomet’s small army

Metacomet was defeated Colonists killed and enslaved some of the

defeated Indians Forced remaining Indians to leave Few American Indians remained in New

England after the war

Peoples of the New England Colonies

New England Colonies : People

Most New Englanders were farmers, fishermen, merchants

Many were also Puritans: people who formed communities that followed the rules of the bible in order to serve their God Religion shaped their government Town’s leaders made laws controlling how people

worshipped On Sundays, town gathered at the meetinghouse for church

Meetinghouse – most important building in a Puritan community

Town people came once a month for a town meeting Town meeting – gathering where colonists held elections and

voted on laws for the town

Men and Boys of New England

Men were considered landowners and were the only people who could vote.

Many men were also farmers who: took care of the family’s animals spent most of their time working in the fields

-Planted crops such as wheat and corn in the spring and harvested them in the fall

-Only grew enough crops to feed their families

Because farming was difficult, men also had to: Build and repair buildings and tools Fish, whale, and build ships Trade products of New England to Europe, Africa and

the West Indies

Women and Girls of New England:

Women were just as busy as the men and boys!

Time was spent preparing and preserving the food for the family

Made household items (clothing, soap and candles)

During planting and harvest seasons, they also helped in the fields

How did the geography of the New England help the colonists?

New England’s many natural resources helped colonists make a living from the land and sea

Many forests, rugged mountains and coastal water were accessible local natural resources New Englanders used the local resources to help

create a successful shipbuilding industry Industry – all the businesses that make one of a kind

products or provide one of a kind services Workers used oak trees to build bodies of ships, pine

trees for the ships’ masts (tall poles where sales are attached)

Forest’s provided easy huntingCoastal waters of the Atlantic Ocean provided

great fishing waters

How did the geography of New England help the colonists?

The most common fish was Cod Whales also provided food as well as oil

The oils from whales provided money for whalers from selling it as well as oil for lamps that the townspeople used

Trade Products of New England were often traded to other

places like Africa, West Indies and Europe by ships Colonists traded goods for imports to bring back to

the colony Import – product brought into one country from another

Ex: ships coming from Europe to New England carried imports like teas and spices to sell in the colonies

Shipping routes between N. America, Europe and Africa became known as the triangular trade (formed an imaginary triangle across the Atlantic Ocean)

Slavery

Some traders in the triangular trade made money by selling human beings In Africa, traders bought enslaved men, women and

children These people were captured from their homes

The traders chained the Africans together and loaded them onto crowed dirty ships for the Middle Passage Middle Passage – voyage from Africa to the West Indies Many Africans died of disease or hunger along the way

In North America, the Africans who survived the trip were sold to colonists who forced them to work

1600s-1700s thousands of Africans were brought to the colonies during the slave trade Slave trade – was the business of buying and selling

human beings

Map of the Original New England Colony