Middle Colonies Vs New England Colonies Essay

After the first few struggling settlements in the New World progressed, more and more colonies sprung from the untested North American soil. Eventually, there were three main categories to the European colonies. They were each unique, although one certain class stood in stark contrast to the other two. This group, the Middle colonies, was a halfway point between the New England and Southern colonies – and not just geographically. The Middle colonies extracted parts of its neighbors, like farming habits and spiritual sects, but the middle group managed to retain its own flavor.

The New England colonies didn’t rely on land to make money because they had a diverse economy and also tobacco and other cash crops needed a specific climate to be grown in. Although no one became as wealthy as those in the south, they had a very constant economy. They didn’t have to rely on one crop instead they were able to rely on rum, fur trade, fishing, trade, logging and shipbuilding. The next difference is religion. The south had religion but it wasn’t as big of a deal as the New England colonies. This was because the south spent most of the time farming that although they did have church agriculture was more significant. The New England colonies, especially Massachusetts, had a very strict religious system. Failure to follow this system could result in death or banishment. The last difference between them is the labor. In the south they needed a lot of slaves because crops like tobacco required constant attention like making sure it was healthy and also doing a lot of watching over those plants to make sure they were being grown properly. The south was also a slave society in that in order for it to be successful they would need a lot of slaves. On the other hand the New England colonies didn’t need slaves because the crops that they used didn’t need the attention that cash crops needed. Another reason is because they

The New England colonies vs. the Chesapeake colonies had many differences in there economical make-up, as far as their economic activities and the diversity of the economies. The New England society had a very diverse economy as far as their activities go. Some economic activities included small farms, livestock,

The three colonies all wanted to make money but they had to go about it in different ways. This was mainly due to what they had available. The New England Colonies were mainly agricultural farmers. With all the water reservoirs like Cape Cod there were plenty of fish so lots of people became fishermen. There were a lot of lumberjacks to cut down trees and export them to England. The Middle Colonies were extremely different because they set up extensive cosmopolitan cities reminiscent of New York. They had many specialists like doctors, lawyers, accountants, and teachers. They traded a lot with in North America and occasionally overseas. The Southern Colonies primarily depended on cotton and tobacco plantations. As the plantations grew they had to employ black slaves. The plantations were fully self contained with their own blacksmith, teachers and professionals. So there were no big cities or towns. The main plantations traded directly with Europe via the Mississippi. The three colonies all made money differently with their diverse professions and traders.

Both the New England colonies and the Southern colonies seemed as though they might be the same. They both started out with the majority of people being from England, they were both in the New World, and they were both ruled by England but, as time went on this theory was proven wrong. The New England colonies and the Southern colonies had many common characteristics but these two regions were very different geographically, politically, and socially.

By the 1700’s, The northern and souther colonies had evolved into two distinct societies. This is so because the northern and southern colonies had different environments and also different reasons of settlement. The North was established for mainly religious freedom, while on the other hand, the south had been established for economic freedom. The climate also affected the different turnout of the north and the south. The north was much colder and so their soil was not beneficial for farming, so the people of the north found other jobs, while on the other side, the south had rich soil and the colonists there used that idea to set up huge plantations and farms.

The article, “Economy in Colonial New England” talks about the economy in the New England colony, it says “In contrast to the southern colonies, which could produce tobacco, rice, and indigo in exchange for imports, New England's colonies couldn't offer much to England beyond fish, furs, and naval stores.” The New England colonies used the fishing and the construction of boats to maintain economically. They made soap, clothing and candles. Its exports fish, whale products, boats, wood products, furs, maple syrup, copper, horses, beer and whiskey. They had problems with agriculture, it was difficult to plant wheat because the quality of nutrients on the land was poor, but corn, pumpkins, rye and beans had better

1. There were several main differences among the British colonial regions. The New England colonies being colonized mainly for religion while the Middle colonies found wealth through industry, whereas the Southern colonies sought more trade and wealth opportunities through colonization. Economically, the New England colonies did not have trade as their primary focused, but still were involved in the processes of fishing, lumbering, and trapping, the Middle colonies found their wealth in lumbering and shipbuilding; the Southern colonies sought to grow and trade cash crops for wealth. The Northern colonies composed of [Separatist] Pilgrims, Puritans, and Quakers had more religious reasons for being founded, but not limited to refuge from religious persecution, and a holy society or “city upon a hill.” The Northern colonies were also religiously self-governing; one example being the Mayflower Compact, while the South had regular laws instituted. Demographically, the colonies started with an overwhelming white population over the blacks, but as the tobacco industry grew and slavery became an increasing practice, blacks began to outnumber the white population.

There were a myriad of differences between Great Britain and her American colonies in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but these differences can be divided into three basic categories: economic, social, and political. The original American settlers came to the colonies for varied reasons, but a common trait among these settlers was that they still considered themselves British subjects. However, as time passed, the colonists grew disenfranchised from England. Separated from the king by three thousand miles and living in a primitive environment where obtaining simple necessities was a struggle, pragmatism became the common thread throughout all daily life in the colonies. It was this pragmatism that led the colonists to create

Agriculture was a prominent feature in colonial economy. In all of the colonies, it was a way for colonists to obtain food and income. In New England, subsistence farming was common. In the Middle Colonies, there was rich soil that produced the perfect environment for crops such as wheat and corn, which was exported as to Europe and the West Indies, creating a source of income from agriculture. In the Southern Colonies, there were subsistence farms and plantations. Plantations grew their own food, as well as cash crops that created a source of income.

The reason for the diverse economic development were the different climates and natural resources. New England as a region with many trees, rivers, natural harbors and a long coast. All these natural resources provided for an economy based on fishing, shipbuilding, and lumbering. The Middle Colonies had good soil, and thus specialized in farming and growing crops such as wheat. The middle colonies also served as a trade center for all the regions due to the abundance of of rivers . There were many cash crops present in the south such as tobacco and rice. This was taken advantage of, and the Southern colonies specialized in farming these crops, along with cotton in large plantations. The New England and Middle Colonies also had farms, but they were small. This specialization allowed for a multitude of goods to be exported in exchange for other goods through triangular trade. Even though there was some trading between the colonies and regions, most people relied on small farms in their area, giving a sense of 3 separate regions and not a unified

There was very little development of the industry as a result of plantation owners putting all of their money into their land and slaves. This resulted in little investment and was therefore the cause for little development. The little bit of industry development that there was resulted in Lumber, fur and Naval store trading. In the Middle Colonies the establishment was also partially economical, with the exception of Pennsylvania. Just as in the South these colonies were established to serve the mother country, however the agriculture was producing different crops, and the industry was producing fur and Naval supplies but not much Lumber. The agricultural aspect of the economy flourished because of the moderate climate which provided for longer growing seasons and also the rich soil found in the area. The main crops were Wheat, Barley, Fruit and livestock was also produced. These colonies were known as "The Bread Basket." Although mainly established for religious reasons the north also contributed to the mercantile system. The climate was cold ad growing seasons were short, the soil was rocky and it was hard to produce crops. However small amounts of Beans, Barley, Oats and corn were produced along with livestock. The main economic advantage in the North was the fact that it was in a good trading location and had good ports. This is why the

Economic opportunity was extremely prevalent in the colonies. Factors that heavily influenced the situation were influx of people, triangular trade, and also the New England colonies. An influx of people is beneficial for any economy, and Colonial America was no different. Triangular trade was also how slaves fueled the cultivation of land. The New England colonies were in all sorts of trades, from growing corn to whaling and fishing. All of these factors played a huge role in building a successful economy.

The economy of the two regions also greatly differed because of the terrain that they landed on. Because the land in the south was much more fertile than in the north, the southern colonies thrived in rice and tobacco, profiting greatly. In New England the settlers could not grow anything in the rocky terrain and were forced into fishing, building, and farming. However, not much farming went on because of the infertile soil. In the Chesapeake slaves were also a main part of their economy. The slave trade made them very wealthy because of their closeness to the West Indies. They would be shipped many slaves and then use them to harvest their crops and plant their land. Soon, the slaves outnumbered white settlers by about four to one.

For the people of Europe the Americas was a place to prosper, worship in there own way, and expand there kingdoms. The only problem is that they attempted to settle in their own way and all failed dismally. The New England, Mid-Atlantic and Southern Colonies grew differently in various ways, but each with the same state of mind, “do it our way”. Examining the three sets of colonies will prove that they were all different in religion, government, and ways of expansion.