The characteristics and regions of early American colonial settlements were influenced by geography, economics, and social structures ; through the development of agriculture, trade, and religious communities.
The early American colonies were broken up into three major regions, New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the South. New England (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut) was a hub for religious reformers and separatists who left England as pilgrims looking for religious freedom. The Mid-Atlantic (New York, New Jersey, and Delaware) was originally founded for the purpose of trade because of its proximity to many ports. The Southern colonies (like Virginia, Maryland, and Georgia) were founded for purely economic reasons, created to produce crops and shuttle natural resources back to Europe.
New England, first known as the Providence of New Hampshire, was steeply based in the Puritan religion. “This as a brother in Christ also, and in the communion of the same Spirit, and so teacheth to put a difference between Christians and others.”(Winthrop, A Model of a Christian Charity). This is quote from a sermon preached to pilgrims on a boat traveling from England to New England. This quote demonstrates how religious exclusivity was the primary building block of the New England colonies. The new settlers were taught, as they traveled over from
England, that they were different from other people because of their Puritan values, and that they were going to a community where they would be around people of the same beliefs as them. “The Pilgrims and, to a greater extent, the Puritans came to the New World not to re-create rural English life but rather to build a completely new society: an applied religious utopia…” (Woodard, 57). This quote from Woodard’s book, American Nations, further explains the religious community that the Puritan pilgrims founded throughout New England. The main purpose for Puritan inhabitants of this colony was to live in their own little community, this led to strict Puritanistic laws, and harsh punishments for other pilgrims who were not of the Puritan beliefs. “It is the will and command of God that, since the coming of his Son the Lord Jesus, a permission of the most Paganish, Jewish, Turkish, or anti-christian consciences and worships be granted to all men in all nations and countries.” (Williams, The Bloody Tenent of Persecution). This excerpt, from an article written by Roger Williams in 1644, acknowledges the unfairness of such strict Puritan laws. Many people argued that since many New England settlers had come to the “new world” seeking religious freedoms they should not begrudge other groups trying to do the same.
The Mid-Atlantic, or Middle Colonies, were the most diverse of any of the early American colonies. Many settlers came from both Europe and Africa, making the region very culturally, linguistically, and spiritually diverse (Olson-Raymer). “All sorts of opinions (denominations) there are some, and the most part of none at all.” (Dongan, 2). Governor Dongan is speaking of the great tolerance he experienced in the Mid-Atlantic colonies. There was such an acceptance of so many differing opinions that it seemed as if nobody had an opinion at all. There seemed to be no ill-will or distrust between members of different creeds or religions, unlike the other colonial counterparts.
Much unlike New England, the Southern and Mid-Atlantic colonies were not dominated by any specific religion. These communities were more driven by agriculture and trade rather than shared religious beliefs. Even though the Southern and Middle lands both heavily focused on farming, it was very different types of farming which supported different types of economies. The Mid-Atlantic was made out of coastal lowlands and bays, which easily became harbors, perfect for imports and exports of goods to and from England. Both the Mid-Atlantic and New England colonies were near the Appalachian and Adirondack Mountains, but only the Mid-Atlantic had the rivers and rich soil necessary to sustain substantial faming. Mid-Atlantic crops included wheat, barley, rye, and corn. The abundance of rivers and bays in this region also made large-scale fishing possible. This was very unique because this was one of the only places in colonial America where fish was a major product (original13colonkes.weebly.com). The Mid-Atlantic’s access to such an abundance of natural resources allowed their economy to grow, and community to flourish.
The identity of the Southern colonies was heavily steeped in agriculture. Their fertile soil, hilly coastal plains, and many rivers made farming possible and very important. Due to their warm climate and expansive farm lands, the Southern colonies began producing cash crops such as rice, tobacco, and indigo. They exported these commodities both to other colonies, and to many European countries. “They have Indigo, Tobacco very good, and Cotton-wool; Lime-trees, Orange, Lemon, and other Fruit-Trees…” (Horne, A Brief Description of the Province of Carolina). This quote from Robert Horne exemplifies the attraction felt by settlers of the Southern colonies to its rich farmlands. Many of such settlers were former plantation owners from Barbados who heard of the South’s great excess of farmable land, and saw a chance to expand their plantations.
These new settlers from Barbados not only brought plantations to the Southern colonies, but slavery as well. “Enormously profitable for those who controlled it, this unadulterated slave society would spread rapidly across the lowlands…” (Woodard, 82). Although immoral, slavery soon made its way through the South, and ingrained itself in its economy and culture. Now able to run their large farms with free labor, southern property owners began to rely on slave labor to produce the large amounts of crops demanded from the region. The result of this was a plantation economy, an economy based on mass agricultural production of a few commodity crops (original13colonies.weebly.com). The use of slave labor, and the massive expansion of southern farmland, led this region to be quite separate from the more northern colonies, and develop its distinct character that still lingers today.
The characteristics that established the differences of the three colonies is what gave each region their strength to endure. They may have evolved into distinctive and sometimes conflicting cultures, but altogether they were an independent and well-functioning society. New England’s social structure promoted Puritan beliefs and practices, while shunning almost everything else. The Mid-Atlantic colonies’ fertile soil and optimal farming conditions made agriculture the foundation of their society. The unique economy of the Southern colonies, based on slavery supported plantations, distinguished the South from other colonial cultures. These colonial characteristics are what set the stage for the further expansion and development for the United States of America