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Comparing the Colonies

How were the three colonial regions alike and
different?

Introduction

Roanoke, Jamestown, and Plymouth were the first

English colonies in North America. As time passed,
more settlers arrived, and the existing colonies
grew. Plymouth became part of the Massachusetts
Bay Colony and Jamestown part of Virginia. Other
colonies also developed along the Atlantic coast of
what would become the United States.

In 1707, England and Wales joined Scotland under

one government. This nation was called Great
Britain. Its people were the British. By the mid-
1700s, Great Britain had 13 colonies in North
America.

There were three regions within the 13 colonies:

the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies, and
the Southern Colonies. Each region had unique
characteristics to offer. The types of people,
geographies, and economies varied from region to
region.

Some regions were home to people of the same

religion. Other regions were diverse and welcomed
all types of settlers. The regions had distinct
geographic features that shaped much of their
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settlers' lifestyles. These features included

landforms, natural resources, and climates.
Because of this, people in different regions
produced different things. A region's economy was
based on these local products and services. An
economy is the way in which people use resources
to produce, sell, or trade goods and services to
meet their wants.

The colonies within each region differed as well. For

example, the colonies had different governments.
Some had governments that were more democratic
than others.

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Social Studies
Vocabulary

assembly

economy

grant

indentured servant

industry

plantation

West Indies

Civics

Economics

Geography

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1. The New England, Middle, and Southern

Colonial Regions

People came to each of the colonial regions for

different reasons. Each region had its own
geography. Each region offered settlers special
choices and ways of life.

The New England region included the colonies of

Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, Rhode Island,
and Connecticut. It had rocky soil, dense forests,
and natural harbors that gave easy access to the
sea. New England's economy was built on small
farms, lumbering, fishing, shipbuilding, and trade. A
region's economy is how the people use their
resources to sustain themselves.

Most New England colonists were originally

Puritans. They wanted to change the practices of
the Church of England, or the Anglican Church.
Religion was an important part of their lives.

The Middle Colonies included New York,

Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. This
region had rich soil. Farmers raised livestock and
grew crops. They sold pork, beef, wheat, and barley
(a type of grain) to other colonies.

The Middle Colonies had a diverse population. The

region's strong economy attracted people from
other European countries besides Great Britain,
such as Germany and Ireland. These people held
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many different religious beliefs.

The Southern Colonies included Maryland, Virginia,

North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. This
region's geography favored cash crops. Rich men
came to this region from Great Britain. They grew
cash crops such as tobacco and rice on their
plantations.

Plantations needed many workers. At first,

landowners used American Indians and
indentured servants to plant and harvest
plantation crops. Indentured servants also worked
in other places in the colonies. Soon, Southern
landowners began to replace these workers with
enslaved Africans.

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2. Massachusetts Bay: New England Colony

The first group of settlers to come to Massachusetts

were the Pilgrims who arrived in Plymouth in 1620.
They wanted to leave the Church of England. A
group of Puritans seeking religious freedom, led by
John Winthrop, formed the Massachusetts Bay
Colony. They settled in New England in 1630. These
Puritans wanted to freely practice their religious
beliefs in the new home.

The rugged geography of New England did not

make the Puritans give up their plan. The soil was
rocky, and winters could be harsh, but there were
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also vast forests and clean water. The winter cold

killed insects and germs that caused disease, so
colonists in New England often lived longer than
people in other regions.

The region supported many industries. Colonists

grew crops and raised animals on small farms. Men
cut lumber from trees to build houses and trading
ships. Many colonists also worked as fishermen and
whalers. Fishing provided food, while whale fat was
used to make oil and candles.

Massachusetts had a more democratic government

than most countries in Europe. At first, only Puritan
men could vote, but as time passed, all men who
owned land could vote. To solve local problems, the
colonists met at town meetings and made decisions
by majority rule. This was the first truly democratic
form of local government in the colonies. Settlers
elected representatives to the colony's lawmaking
body. John Winthrop was elected governor 12 times
between 1630 and 1649.

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3. Rhode Island: New England Colony

From its start, Rhode Island offered people religious

freedom. In 1631, a young minister named Roger
Williams began to criticize the Puritan leaders of
the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He thought that
government and religion should be separate.
Because of this, the leaders forced him to leave the
colony in 1635.

Williams spent the winter with some American

Indians. In 1636, he started a town called
Providence, which later became the capital of
Rhode Island. Rhode Island welcomed people with
different religious beliefs to live in the colony.

Puritan Anne Hutchinson also lived in the

Massachusetts Bay Colony. She, like Williams,
spoke out against some Puritan practices and
beliefs. In 1637, she was put on trial for her
religious ideas. The court found her guilty and
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forced her to leave the colony. She, too, moved to

what became part of Rhode Island, where she could
freely practice her beliefs.

Rhode Island's geography helped colonists build a

strong economy. Narragansett Bay and local rivers
provided fish and routes for travel and trade. Men
trapped animals and traded the furs. The forests
supplied timber, and the soil in southern Rhode
Island was good for farming. While winters were
sometimes harsh, the summer rains helped crops
grow.

Many Rhode Island colonists were farmers who

raised livestock and grew corn, apples, onions, and
many other crops on small farms. Other colonists
were traders. Ships from Rhode Island carried
goods such as rum, wool, and flax to England and
the West Indies. Flax is a plant from which linen
cloth and oil are made. Some colonists became rich
in the trade of enslaved West Africans, even though
few Rhode Island colonists themselves owned
slaves.

Rhode Island was one of the most democratic

colonies. At first, most men could vote for the
colony's governor and local officials. Later on, only
men who owned property could vote, but they did
not have to practice a certain religion.

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4. New York: Middle Colony

The colony that the British named New York was

first settled by people from the Netherlands, known
as the Dutch. The Netherlands (often called
Holland) is a country in northern Europe. The Dutch
came to the area to set up fur-trading posts. The
British, however, wanted this land for themselves
so that British settlers in New England could create
new trade routes. In 1664, the British captured the
colony, and England's king gave the land to his
brother, the Duke of York.

New York's geography made it a good place to

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settle. New York Harbor was ideal for shipping and

trade, and the valleys of the Hudson and Mohawk
rivers were well suited to farming and trade. Iron, a
useful mineral, was found in this region.

Winters in New York were cold, and summers were

hot and humid (moist). But there were long growing
seasons in the valleys and along the coast, so
farming was easier here than in New England.

New York's economy offered colonists good jobs in

many industries. Farmers grew wheat, corn,
vegetables, and tobacco, while other colonists
became miners, lumbermen, sailors, trappers, and
merchants. Some workers were indentured
servants or enslaved Africans.

Colonists had little power in New York's

government. Governors appointed by the king were
controlled by England, and the governor appointed
other officials and enforced the laws.

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5. Pennsylvania: Middle Colony

Like the Puritans, the Quakers were a religious

group whose beliefs set them at odds with the
official church in England. Quakers had no priests
or ministers and would not fight in wars. English
Quaker William Penn was jailed several times for his
beliefs. He wanted to start a colony where Quakers
could live safely. In 1681, England's King Charles II
granted land in North America to Penn, which he
used to found Pennsylvania.

Penn welcomed people from many countries to his

colony, regardless of the religion they practiced.

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Penn also treated American Indians with respect.

Therefore, they lived in peace with the colonists.
Although many Quakers opposed slavery, Penn
permitted people to bring enslaved Africans to the
colony and even owned slaves himself.

Pennsylvania's geography provided many

resources. The Delaware River Valley had rich soil
for farming. There were forests for timber. Other
raw materials included coal and minerals like iron
and copper. Rivers offered easy transportation.
Winters were cold and snowy, but the climate did
not discourage colonists.

The colony developed a strong economy, with jobs

in many industries. Farmers raised dairy cattle and
grew wheat and vegetables such as corn. People
worked as miners, lumbermen, and merchants.
Many Quaker merchants and farmers became rich.

The king approved Penn's appointment of the

colony's governor. A General Assembly met to pass
or reject laws made by a council. All men who
owned property could vote for members of the
Assembly. In 1696, the colony became more
democratic when the elected members of the
Assembly gained the power to write laws.

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6. Maryland: Southern Colony

Cecilius Calvert, an English nobleman also known

as Lord Baltimore, started the colony of Maryland in
1634. He hoped to make money from the colony.
Lord Baltimore also wanted to provide a safe place
for Catholics like himself. In England and in some of
the colonies, Catholics were treated harshly.

Maryland's geography was well suited for planting

and selling tobacco. This crop grew well in the hot,
steamy summers. Chesapeake Bay was a route to
the ocean for most settlers, and farmers near the
bay could ship their crops to England and other
places. Unfortunately, the climate also encouraged
mosquitoes that spread deadly diseases.

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There were many kinds of jobs in the colony. Most

colonists worked on small farms, growing tobacco,
corn, wheat, and fruit trees. Some farmers raised
cattle for beef and milk. Other industries included
lumbering, shipping, and fishing. Some people
made money by buying and selling slaves. Some
wealthy families owned tobacco plantations, where
enslaved Africans and indentured servants did most
of the work.

Most colonists had little power in Maryland's

government. Lord Baltimore made his brother,
Leonard Calvert, the governor of the colony. Calvert
made the decisions until 1637, when he allowed the
colony to have an assembly. For the most part, only
white men with property voted for members of the
assembly. Over time, more non-Catholics moved to
the colony. Calvert had the assembly pass a law to
protect Catholics' right to vote and to serve in the
government. These rights were denied to Catholics
in some of the other colonies.

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7. Georgia: Southern Colony

The Southern Colony of Georgia was the last colony

founded by Great Britain, and it was started in 1732
for two main reasons. First, the British government
wanted to keep Spanish troops from moving north
from Florida. The colonists in Georgia first tried to
make treaties with the American Indian tribes of
Florida. In 1742, Spanish troops launched an attack
against British troops in Georgia. Though the attack
was not successful, British and Spanish troops
continued to fight along the border for the next few
years.

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Second, some wealthy British men wanted to help

poor people avoid going to debtors' prison. A
debtor is someone who owes something to another
person and at that time, these people went to jail if
they could not pay off their bills. Sending debtors to
Georgia rather than to jail gave them a new start
because they could now earn a living in the new
colony. When they arrived in Georgia, each debtor
received fifty acres of land to farm. However,
debtors could not sell the land that they were
given.

Georgia's geography was ideal for growing certain

crops, making farming the key industry in the
colony. Winters were mild, but summers were long,
hot, and humid. This climate was good for growing
indigo, a plant used to make blue dye. The
southern part of Georgia was mostly swamp, which
was ideal for growing rice. Later on, farmers grew
tobacco and cotton.

People in Georgia also had other jobs. In the north,

settlers cut down forests and sold the lumber for
homes, also leaving cleared areas that could then
be used as farmland. Other colonists earned a
living by trading goods with American Indians.

At first, only the rich men who had started the

colony took part in running the government. They
passed laws that they thought were best for the
colony. One of these laws made slavery illegal. In
1752, however, these men turned control of the
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colony over to Great Britain's King George II. The

king allowed white male voters to elect an
assembly, with the exception that he could overturn
any law the assembly passed. New laws made
slavery legal, and it soon became widespread.

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Lesson Summary

In this lesson, you learned about the British

colonies in what would become the United States.
You learned that the colonies were divided into
three regions: the New England, Middle, and
Southern colonies.

Several factors made the three regions different.

Geography was one of these factors. The kind of
climate and the type of soil in a region affected
what crops could be grown there. The natural
resources in each region led to the growth of
certain industries.
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Colonies within the same region had differences,

too. Their governments and laws varied. Still, many
colonists experienced more democracy than they
had previously known in Great Britain and other
European countries.

There were different reasons for founding each of

the colonies. Some settlers sought religious
freedom, while others came in search of wealth or
to escape from debt. Some were forced to come,
such as enslaved Africans who were brought over
by slave traders.

Economics

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READ & DO

Choosing a Career in the Colonies

The British colonies attracted hundreds of

thousands of immigrants. In Europe, most people
worked at the same jobs their families had always
done. But in the colonies, a young man had some
choices, depending on the region he lived in. What
kinds of jobs did each of the three colonial regions
offer?

The New England Colonies

For Sam, it was an exciting time. He would soon be

an adult. In the British colonies, unlike many
European countries, he could decide his own future.
What kind of work should he choose?

Sam lived with his large family in New England. He

and his seven brothers and sisters all worked on
the family farm, which provided most of the basics
the family needed. Sam liked life on the farm and
thought perhaps he'd become a farmer, the most
common profession in New England. He might leave
his family's home to work for a time at a neighbor's
farm so that he could make some money.

When he was a little older, he could marry. As a

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wedding present, his parents might give him a

small piece of land. He and his wife could build a
home and run a farm, as his parents had done. He
could picture himself and his wife attending church
and taking an active part in village life. They could
raise a big family and would live comfortably, if not
be rich.

Although Sam liked farm life, his other dream was

to earn a living from the sea. New England had
many fine harbors, and not far off shore were some
of the world's finest fishing grounds. The fishing
industry provided jobs for thousands of people.

Whaling was another seafaring industry. It was

hard, dangerous work, but Sam was drawn by the
promise of adventure. New England whaling ships
sailed the world, so Sam would have the
opportunity to travel to new and amazing places.

Young Sam had exciting options. He would choose

his future soon.

The Middle Colonies

Farming was the most common job for colonists in

the Middle Colonies. There was plenty of fertile land
and the climate allowed farmers to raise important
crops, such as wheat.

The Middle Colonies were also known for something

else though. The region had two large cities: New

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York and Philadelphia. Life for residents of these

places was very different from life for people in the
countryside. For one thing, the cities offered a great
variety of jobs. Some people worked in the
shipyards, and row upon row of workshops and
stores employed many other colonists. It was in one
of these enterprises that young Caleb would be
seeking his future as a skilled worker.

Caleb's father had arranged for his son to become

a printer. Soon, Caleb would begin training for this
job, where he would have to learn to perform many
tasks.

To learn these skills, Caleb would need to become

an apprentice. While still a young teenager, he
would have to leave home to live with a master
printer. The printer would teach Caleb all about
printing and provide food and housing for him. In
return, Caleb would work for the master printer as
he learned the skills of printing.

Caleb's training would last several years, but he

could expect to get a paying job once he finished. If
Caleb were ambitious, he might someday try to set
up a shop of his own. It would be risky! He would
need money for supplies, and the business might
fail. However, if his business thrived then these
risks would pay off and he could become wealthy.
There was plenty of opportunity in the bustling big
cities of the Middle Colonies. In the future, their
economies would grow into the economic system
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that the United States uses today.

Caleb was nervous about moving away from his

family, but he knew that he must get good training.
He was ready to learn how to be a skilled printer
and to make his place in the growing economy of
colonial America.

The Southern Colonies

Thomas lived in South Carolina, one of the Southern

Colonies. Like many Carolinians, his family owned a
large rice plantation. Carolina rice was the best.
Family members were able to sell this product for a
high price and earn a good income. With this
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money, they were able to purchase the items they

needed and could not produce themselves, as well
as many other luxuries.

Thomas was getting older, and he had begun

thinking about his future. As the oldest of the
surviving children in his family, the chances were
very good that he would inherit his family's
plantation. His older brother and sister had both
died at an early age. Sadly, this was not uncommon
in the colonial South because the wet, warm
climate made diseases a very frequent occurrence.
In fact, Thomas was lucky that both of his parents
were still alive. One of Thomas's friends had lost
both of his parents and, with no other choice, was
forced to become a servant to another family.

But for Thomas, the future seemed bright. He would

one day take control of the family plantation and
manage the workers, most of them slaves, who
produced the large rice crop. Since there were few
villages or town centers, such as those found in
New England, people tended to gather at each
other's houses. He and his wife would entertain
friends and visitors at home. And he would play
games such as cards with his friends, which was a
favorite pastimes in the colonial South.

Thomas was pleased about his future. After all, he

had been raised to lead such a life. To run a large
and prosperous plantation was a promising future
for a Southern man.
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Choices for Some Colonists

Unlike many men in Europe, young men in the

British colonies had more opportunities to choose
what work they did. Many colonists worked on
farms, especially in the Southern Colonies. In the
Middle and New England colonies, varied industries
offered more choices.

Women, however, had more limited choices. They

were expected to take care of a house and a family,
with only a few other careers open to them. If
women were paid to do a job, it was most likely a
job as a household servant, and they'd probably
only hold such a job until they married.

Poor people also had few choices. Some people

signed agreements to work as indentured servants,
which meant that they would work for a master for
a period of years to pay off money they owed. The
agreement might last from four to seven years.
Indentured servants sometimes worked on
plantations or in homes or shops in the towns. After
their term of service ended, they might receive
some money or land to begin a new life. Many
people came to the American colonies and paid off
the cost of the trip by working as indentured
servants. Life for indentured servants was difficult
because they often suffered harsh treatment.
However, they did have the hope of eventually
being free to build a new life.

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There were also many workers in colonial America

who were enslaved. In the early colonial era, people
owned slaves in all the colonies, but most slaves
lived in the Southern Colonies.

Almost all the slaves were from West Africa. Their

white owners considered them property, meaning
slaves had no control over their own lives. Now and
then, an owner might free a slave, but this was
rare. And even former slaves had few rights. They
also had fewer job choices than whites. Even worse,
freed slaves faced the ongoing threat of being
forced back into slavery.

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Explore - Answering the Three Basic

Economic Questions in the American
Colonies

Economics is the study of how people use

resources to produce and exchange goods and
services to meet their wants and needs. Let's
explore the following key economics concepts:

• Geography influences economic choices and

decisions.
• Scarcity influences economic choices and
decisions.
• Specialization helps bring about trade and
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interdependence.
• People organize their economies to answer three
basic economic questions: What and how much
should we to produce? How should we produce it?
Who will get it?

You will learn how answers to these questions led

to long-lasting characteristics of the colonies. For
example, colonial towns located by the Atlantic
Ocean became important seaport cities. New
England's forests led to the lumber industry. And,
plantations became economically essential in the
South.

For many settlers, the British colonies in North

America were a good place to live and work. But to
the rulers of Great Britain, the colonies were a
source of wealth. The land had many resources that
the rulers could use.

In 1721, advisors to the British king wrote a report

that described the products Great Britain got from
its American colonies. New Hampshire provided
“lumber, fish, masts for the Royal Navy, &
turpentine,” a product made from tree sap.
Pennsylvania was a source of “wheat, beef, pork, &
lumber.” Farmers in South Carolina provided rice
and other agricultural products.

The report noted that trade with the colonies was

good for the British. It also suggested that Great
Britain would benefit further. It pointed out that if

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the colonies could be made to produce certain

products, then the British could stop buying them
from other countries and earn more profits for
itself.

Geography Affects the Economy

The British rulers faced a common economics

problem. Economists know that meeting wants and
needs involves choices because there is a scarcity
of resources, meaning there are not enough
resources to meet everyone's wants and needs.
And, resources are not found everywhere. Some
resources are abundant in some locations.

For example, the Southern Colonies had good soil

and a warm climate, so the people there grew
valuable crops, such as rice, tobacco, and cotton.
These crops required huge farms, called
plantations, and hundreds of workers. The
plantation system was very different from the small
family farms of New England. Plantation owners
were typically wealthy and hired managers to
oversee the farm work. They also owned many
slaves who did the difficult labor of planting and
harvesting the fields. While plantation owners may
have grown their own food, much of their harvest
was sold and shipped to other parts of the world.

The New England Colonies had a colder climate,

and the soil there was not as good for farming.
Most people had only small farms to grow food for
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their families. But, New England had rich fishing

grounds, so many people turned to the sea to make
a living. The region also had large forests, and
some people developed a shipbuilding industry. In
these ways, geography affected how the colonies
grew and developed. It affected what goods and
services people chose to produce.

The Three Basic Economic Questions

People organize the work they do to answer three

basic economic questions:

• What should we produce and in what amounts?

• How should we produce these things?
• Who should we produce them for?

To answer these questions, people think about

many factors. First, they think about what
resources they can easily get or use. That is why
many New Englanders turned to fishing and
shipbuilding. People also consider the impact of
climate and other geographic features. These
factors affected the choice of crops raised by the
Southern Colonies. Today, some individuals in
these regions continue to earn their livings in these
industries that were started in colonial times.

Trade is another important consideration. A region

or country can import, or buy from another country,
a resource that is not available locally. A region or
country can export, or sell to another country, a
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local resource that is plentiful for one and scarce for

the other. A region does not need to make or grow
everything it needs. It can specialize in things it can
easily produce, and it can trade for the rest.

Trade between countries is called international

trade. Trade can also occur between two regions,
such as the New England Colonies trading with the
Southern Colonies. This kind of trade is called
interregional trade. Through trade, resources and
goods are distributed, or transported, to the people
who want them.

The British relied on their colonies for imports of

natural resources. They knew that many resources
they lacked in Britain were found in North America.
What the British did have were skilled workers.
British leaders wanted those workers to keep
making valuable products that the British could
then sell for high prices. They knew it made sense
to specialize in what they could do well

Specialization and trade make countries

interdependent, or dependent on one another. The
British needed raw materials from the colonies, and
the colonies needed the manufactured goods the
British made. Great Britain and its colonies relied
on one another. This affected how the colonial
economies developed and what colonists did for a
living.

The seaports of New England and Middle Colonies

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provide examples. Boston was New England's

major port, while New York and Philadelphia were
important ports for the Middle Colonies. Many jobs
were needed at and around the seaports, including
sailors, shipbuilders, people to haul goods on and
off the ships, shopkeepers, and merchants who
found buyers and sellers for the shipped goods.

As people answered the three basic economic

questions, the economies of the North American
regions developed to support the British and their
growing colonies.

__________________________________________________

• "State of the British Plantations in America, in

1721: Copy of a Representation of the Lords
Commissioners for Trade and Plantations to the
King upon the State of His Majesties Colonies &
Plantations on the continent of North America,
dated September 8th 1721. by J. Chetwynd, P.
Doeminique, M. Bladen, and E. Ashe in New-York
Colonial Manuscripts; London Documents XXI,
1721, pp. 595; 604; 610 for NH, PA, and SC,
respectively./p>

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Explore - Taking Part in Politics: Colonial

Times to Today

Americans have a long tradition of taking part in

politics. We take part in politics when we vote in
elections. We take part in politics when we write a
letter to the newspaper about a political issue. We
take part in politics when we go to political
meetings.

The colonists did all those things, too. Political

participation in the colonies began very early. Each
colony elected a legislature. The first was the
House of Burgesses in Virginia. It was formed in
1619. Colonists voted to elect representatives to
their colonial legislatures. In the colonies, only
white males who owned land could vote. All the
same, colonial legislatures showed that colonists
believed in self-government.

After the American Revolution, the 13 colonies

became the first 13 states. Colonial legislatures
became state legislatures. Voters in each state
could vote for state representatives. They also
could vote for their representatives in Congress.
They could vote in presidential elections.

Over time, new states joined the Union. They

formed state legislatures. Their voters cast ballots
in state elections. They voted in national elections
as well. They voted for their representatives in
Congress. They voted in presidential elections.
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The Right to Vote Until the 1820s, the only

people who had the right to vote were white males
who owned land. Over time, that changed, too.
Voting rights were given to more Americans. By
1828, most states no longer required that voting
citizens must own land. The number of voters went
up. Only white males, however, had the right to
vote.

In 1870, a new amendment was added to the

Constitution. It was the Fifteenth Amendment. This
amendment gave voting rights to all male citizens,
including African Americans.

Women won the right to vote in 1920. That is when

the Nineteenth Amendment was added to the
Constitution.

American Indians won voting rights in 1924. The

United States passed a law that made them U.S.
citizens. The law also gave them the right to vote.

The Civil Rights Movement and Voting After

the Fifteenth Amendment was approved, many
states found legal ways to deny voting rights to
black Americans. Many states used the poll tax. A
tax is amount of money the government requires
people to pay. The money is used to pay for work
done by the government. A poll tax was a tax
placed on people who wanted to vote. Many poor
black Americans as well as some poor white
Americans could not afford to pay the tax. So they

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could not vote.

Many states had a law saying that voters had to

know how to read. This law was also meant to stop
African Americans from voting. It was known as the
literacy test.

In the 1950s, the civil rights movement began.

People worked to achieve equal rights for black
Americans. One of the key issues was voting rights.
The civil rights movement helped bring about
change. In 1964, the Twenty-fourth Amendment
was added to the Constitution. It made poll taxes
against the law. The Voting Rights Act of 1965
protected voting rights by ending such practices as
literacy tests.

In 1971, the Twenty-sixth Amendment was

approved. It lowered the voting age to 18. Before
that, most states said that voters had to be at least
21 to vote.

Taking Part in Politics Then and Now Voting is

one of the most important ways people can take
part in politics. That was true in colonial times. It is
true today.

There are many other ways to take part, however.

You can read or watch the news to learn about
current events. At election time, you can learn
about candidates. You can do volunteer work for a
political cause.

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People in the colonies did all those things. People in

the United States still do them today. In addition,
more people have the right to vote.

Explore - Diversity in the Middle Colonies

The four Middle Colonies were New York,

Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. The first
settlers to these colonies came from diverse
cultural and religious backgrounds. The landscape
of this region ranged from the rich soil of coastal
New Jersey and Delaware to the valleys and
wooded mountains of New York and Pennsylvania.
Farmers in the Middle Colonies raised a variety of
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crops and livestock. Lumbering, shipbuilding, and

other occupations added to the many opportunities
here.

The people who settled the Middle Colonies

represented many cultures and religions. One
important group, the Quakers, started the colony of
Pennsylvania. Like the early settlers of New
England, the Quakers were looking for freedom to
practice their religion without fear of persecution.
Other groups seeking religious freedom soon
followed, and settlements of French, Dutch,
Germans, Swedes, Scots, Irish, Jews, and English
began to spread throughout the Middle Colonies.

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Colonial Families

During the 1700s, most people in the colonies were

farmers. In fact, nine out of ten people lived on
small family farms. They spent their time raising or
making nearly everything they needed. Colonial
families were generally large. They often had
between seven and ten children. (Benjamin
Franklin had 16 siblings.) Farm families, in
particular, needed all the hands they could get to
help with chores and the impending harvest each
year.

Colonists’ lives focused on their families. Family

members took care of one another because there
was no one else to do so. Young families often
welcomed elderly grandparents, aunts, uncles, and
cousins into their homes when they could no longer
care for themselves. It didn't matter if there was
barely enough room for everyone. No one would
turn away a needy relative.

Life on Colonial Farm Most farming families faced

the difficult task of clearing the land of trees and
other plants. They only had simple tools, such as
axes and saws. Farmers would use these tools to
cut down trees. Then, they cut square timbers and
flat planks from this lumber to build houses, barns,
and fences.

Picture yourself living on a colonial farm. Your

home is a single large room with a fireplace at one
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end. In this room, your family cooks, eats, and

sleeps. Your parents sleep in a large bed built into
one corner. Your younger siblings sleep in a smaller
trundle bed, a bed that can slide under the big bed
during the day. At bedtime, you climb a ladder next
to the chimney to sleep in an attic or a loft. As your
family grows, you help to build another room on the
other side of the chimney.

Food is cooked in heavy iron cauldrons hung over

an open fire. Cooking is one of the most dangerous
jobs on your farm. While lifting or stirring these
cauldrons, your mother might burn her hands,
scorch her clothes, or strain her back.

Everyone wakes up before sunrise to share the

labor on the farm. Chores include cutting wood,
feeding animals, clearing land, tending crops,
building fences, making furniture and tools,
gathering eggs, spinning thread, weaving cloth,
sewing clothes, making candles and soap, cooking,
cleaning, and caring for babies.

Life for Colonial Children Religious and cultural

backgrounds influenced colonists' ideas about their
children's upbringing. However, almost everywhere
in the colonies, children were expected to be
productive members of the family.

Nearly half of all children died before they reached

adulthood. Childhood deaths were especially high in
the Middle and Southern Colonies. Diseases like

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malaria affected many people. Adults often died

young as well. After the death of a wife or husband,
men and women usually remarried quickly. Thus,
households often swelled with stepchildren as well
as adopted orphans (children whose parents had
died).

Most colonists believed that boys needed more

education than girls. In 1816, First Lady Abigail
Adams wrote a letter about her own education to
her daughter.

In the days of my youth, Female Education

was very little attended to, in this Country
beyond reading, and writing, and
Arithmatic. a few rare instances where
musick was taught—to read I was
instructed, by my Grandfather for writing, I
never had a Master, as you may well
judge, by my hand writing at this day, but
neither Gramer [grammar], orthography
[spelling], or our Native Language, was
considerd a part of Female Education, and
I have through Life lamented [felt sad
about] the deficiency [lack] in this respect.

Life for Colonial Men Men were considered the

head of their households. They were expected to
provide for their families. As a result, they often
took up a job. Most men found work as farmers.
Though some would work in professional jobs such
as clerks, tradesmen, or priests. Puritan men were
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encouraged to work because it was good for their

communities.

Fathers would instruct their sons from a young age.

Colonial men were given better educations than
colonial women. Children received instruction from
their parents before they were old enough to attend
school. Boys were also more likely to attend school
than girls. Men from wealthier families also had the
option of going to college. The education that men
received at home was very important for children of
landowners and business owners. Men would leave
their land or business to their sons. Understanding
the business meant that the male children would be
able to take over for their fathers.

The right to vote was a right reserved only for

white, male landowners. Women, minorities, and
servants were not allowed to vote. Because of this,
white men had a lot of power in their communities.
This meant that they could serve as government
officials as well.

Life for Colonial Women Throughout the

colonies, men outnumbered women. This meant
that almost every woman was likely to receive a
marriage proposal. “Maid servants of good honest
stock [family],” wrote a Virginia plantation owner in
1649 to fathers in England, could “choose their
husbands out of the better sort of people.”

Women were expected to learn their roles in the

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home from their mothers. They were expected to

take care of the children. This meant that they
made sure that their children could read and
understood religious teachings. Women also did all
the cooking and performed other chores. These
chores could include making clothing or medicine. If
they had servants, the women would give them
instructions for work. Wives were also expected to
take care of the house when their husbands were
away or sick.

Colonial women played important roles in their

communities. Some religious communities would
give women more freedom than others. Quaker
women, for example, often held group meetings.
These meetings were a way to solve problems
between family or community members. They also
were used to discuss marriages between
community members. Some women were even
allowed to become spiritual leaders.

Life was not as easy for Puritan women. Puritans

believed that women should obey men. Wives were
expected to obey their husbands. Daughters were
expected to obey their fathers. They also believed
that women should not speak their minds. This
made it very difficult for women to have any kind of
freedom. Any woman who disobeyed the rules was
likely to be punished. Anne Hutchison, a Puritan
woman, decided to disobey these rules. As a result,
the Puritan leaders forced her to leave the
Massachusetts Bay colony. Other women who
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disobeyed the rules would sometimes be accused

of witchcraft.

__________________________________________________

• Letter to Louisa Catherine Johnson Adams (her

daughter) by Abigail Adams. Quincy March
27,1816.

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• Letter to fathers in England by William Bullock.

Virginia, 1649

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