US History

U.S. History Study Guide

Religion dominated all aspects of life in New England. In order to vote or hold office, a person had to be a member in good standing of the church. Religious nonconformists were made public spectacles or banished. Extreme religious superstition also caused New England’s infamous SalemWitch Trials. The New England Colonies established an early tradition of self-government from the very beginning, from the Mayflower Compact to the founding of the other New England colonies. By 1641, over half of the males in Massachusetts could vote. In Connecticut they developed a similar government with even more voting rights: all male landowners were granted rights under the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, which in 1639 became the first written constitution of the New World. To create a unified defense against aggressive Native American tribes and other Europeans they neighbored, colonists organized the New England Confederation. The English viewed this as dangerous, but the confederation continued and helped to end King Phillip’s War. Although it did not last, the confederation proved to the colonies the strength they could achieve under a united front and helped in creating a colonial identity. The Middle Colonies The Middle Colonies included New York and New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Unlike the New England colonies, the soil in the Middle Colonies was good for farming. The middle colonies grew a variety of fruit, vegetables, and above all grain. The Middle Colonies became known as the “breadbasket” because of the amount of wheat grown there. After harvesting their crops of wheat, rye, barley, and other grains, Middle Colonists took the grain to grist mills to be turned into flour or cornmeal. Most of these mills were powered by big water wheels that were turned by the many streams and creeks of the middle colonies. The larger areas of land encouraged the raising of livestock, such as cattle. Industries like textiles (cloth making) were important and were centered on the two largest cities in the colonies, New York City and Philadelphia. Immigrants arrived from all over Europe and settled in these cities, these colonies were much more diverse than those in New England. The ethnic groups that settled in the Middle Colonies were: English, Dutch, Scots-Irish, African, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Swedish, French, and German. Because many different ethnic groups had to live together in the Middle Colonies, an attitude of tolerance or acceptance of other cultures emerged. In addition to being tolerant of one another’s cultures, colonists in the Middle Colonies were tolerant of different religions. The middle colonies were a cosmopolitan of religions; the Quakers, Mennonites , Lutherans, Dutch Calvinists, and Presbyterians to name a few. The Southern Colonies Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas and eventually Georgia. The southern colonies were more religiously and ethnically diverse than the Middle or New England colonies, harboring immigrants from all over Europe, many Roman Catholics (especially in Maryland), and a large number of African slaves. Plantations and opportunity drew many immigrants to the Chesapeake region during the 1600s through the institution of indentured servitude. Plantations produced tobacco, cotton, rice, and

©2018

Achieve

Page 48

of 194