The Thirteen Colonies

The New England Colonies

• Massachusetts ( included Maine), Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire

New England’s Climate

• They had long cold winters and mild summers.

• They had a short growing season.

Physical Features/Natural Resources of New England• Thin rocky soil

• Rugged mountains

• Forests

• Atlantic Ocean

Why did the settlers come to the New England Colonies?

• They wanted religious freedom.

New England’s Natural ResourcesTHE LAND

• They used land to farm for food (wheat, oats, and peas). The soil and climate was not good enough to grow large crops.

FORESTS

• They used forests to get lumber for building houses and ships.

THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

• New Englanders used the ocean to fish for cod and whale.

• It also made it easy to transport ships built in the colonies.

The Mid-Atlantic Colonies

• New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware

Climate of the Middle Colonies

• Long growing season

• Sunny and rainy weather

Physical Features/Natural Resources of the Middle

Colonies• Fertile rich soil

• Wide rivers

• Forests

Where did settlers come from and why did they make the trip to the

Middle Colonies? • Settlers were looking for freedom to live

and worship the way they wanted.

• Settlers came from Germany, Holland ( in New York where Henry Hudson explored the Hudson River), and England.

Use of Natural Resourcesin the Middle Colonies

THE LAND• They used the fertile soil for growing large

crops.

• The Middle Colonies were known as the Bread Basket of the colonies.

THE RIVERS

• They used rivers for transporting crops and getting supplies.

THE FORESTS

• They used forests for hunting deer and small game.

• They used forests to build homes.

THE SOUTHERN COLONIES

Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia

The Climate of the Southern Colonies

• The southern colonies had a 7-8 month growing season.

• Plenty of rain

Use of Natural Resources in the Southern Colonies

THE LAND• Rich and fertile soil for growing cash crops

like tobacco, rice, and indigo

Rivers, Bays, and Wetlands

• Rivers used for transportation

• Wetlands used for growing rice

Pine Forests

• Used for building homes

• Hunted small game

• Used trees to collect sap called pitch

Where did settlers come from and why did they come to the Southern

Colonies? • English, Irish, and French came to the

colonies for new opportunities

• Some Europeans came to escape debts.

• Africans were forced into slave labor.