Colony Groups Essay, Research Paper
Colony Groups
The New England, Middle, and Southern colonies had very different viewpoints on how life was to be lived. The New England colonies believed that the society had to ’stick together’ to survive, and they were primarily based on shipping and moving of goods. The Middle colonies were a blend of the New England and Southern colonies, with a mixture of independence from the South and unity from the North. Economically, they both farmed and shipped goods. The Southern colonies, on the other hand, had a great deal of independence and relied heavily on the growing of crops.
The New England colonies had a very hard life from the beginning. This was caused by a very miserable climate that did not support crop growing very well. Because of the strange climate, the New England colonies developed a system of trading, called the Triangular Trade. The farms and towns were small and self-sufficient, and traded between the Americas, Europe, and Africa. Because of this, the New England colonies grew to be very closely-knit, and always kept the idea that the only way to survive was by ’sticking together.’
The Middle Colonies were a mixture of both farming and commerce. There was rich, fertile soil by the Delaware and Hudson rivers, which induced many crops to prosper. Commerce was also important in the Middle Colonies, as many ships stopped in the ports, carrying both goods and immigrants. The Middle Colonies became very culturally diverse because of the immigrants, and therefore gave them varying opinions.
The Southern Colonies’ economy was based on the growing of crops, called staples. Most of the crops were labored by African slaves, and required a large amount of land. Because the large farms, or plantations, required so much space, the plantation owners became very independent. They all felt like Kings upon their farms, and had control of many slaves. This independence let to more and more freedom, and self-rule.
All of these differences, between the three different groups of colonies, would eventually lead to a Civil War. The New England’s ’sticking together’ theory, the culturally different Middle Colonies, and the Southerners independence all lead to more controversy and disunion.