US History Unit 1: 13 Colonies to War of 1812

13 Original Colonies to War of 1812 (1607-1815)

The 3 Colonial Regions

• The 13 British colonies were divided into New England, Middle, and Southern colonies.

Push and Pull Factors

• Push factors: political or religious persecution, economic hardship, or natural or human-made disasters that cause people to leave their homeland.
• Pull factors: freedom, education, and job opportunities that attract people to a new country.

The New England Colonies

• Consisted of Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
• Founded by Puritans in 1620, who sought religious freedom.
• Plymouth Colony eventually merged with Massachusetts Bay Colony.
• Economy relied heavily on the Atlantic Ocean, with shipbuilding, trading, and fishing as primary activities.
• Slavery existed but was not the primary form of labor.
• Geography: long, cold winters, rocky and poor soil quality, and areas covered with white pine and oak trees.
• Government: self-government took form in town hall meetings where citizens gathered, discussed issues, and allowed men to vote.

The Middle Colonies

• Consisted of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
• Population was diverse, with many ethnicities, languages, and religions.
• Quakers, led by William Penn, practiced non-violence, women's rights, and religious tolerance.
• Huguenots, fleeing persecution in Catholic France, settled in New Netherland.
• Slavery was present but less popular due to the emphasis on equality.
• Economy was diverse, with a combination of farming and a coast for shipping.
• Inland waterways helped create a thriving fur trade with Native Americans.
• Geography: warm summers, cold winters, coastlines, rivers, good soil, and some mountains.

The Southern Colonies

• Consisted of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
• Founded in 1607, with Jamestown as the first successful English settlement.
• Tobacco saved Jamestown from failing and led to the Virginia Colony's birth.
• The headright system was formed to entice settlers to Virginia.
• Staple crops (tobacco, rice, and indigo) gave birth to the plantation system.
• Slavery and indentured servants became the majority of laborers.
• Involuntary Migration: forced displacement of people from their home or region (slaves).
• Indentured servants agreed to work for a long period in exchange for a free voyage.
• Southern colonists were devoutly connected to Great Britain religiously (Anglican) and economically.
• Economy relied on the plantation system, with tobacco, rice, and indigo as cash crops.
• Geography: warm climate, fertile soil, and long rivers flowing to the Atlantic Ocean.
• Government: social class/headright system.

Mercantilism and Triangular Trade

• Mercantilism: providing natural resources and raw materials to the mother country, enriching the mother country's wealth.
• Triangular trade: a trade network involving three continents, with goods and commodities exchanged at high levels.