How did the geography of the southern colonies affect the kinds of crops that were grown there?

The English colonies in North America were located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Appalachian Mountains. France had colonies to the north while Spain had colonies to the south. The thirteen colonies were divided into three regions by geography and climate: New England, middle colonies and southern colonies.

In New England crops didn’t do well due to the rocky soil that developed from the glaciers during the ice age. Forests and hills also made it hard to farm. The summers were warm in New England but the winters long and cold; the growing season was only about five months. Colonists in New England used other natural resources to make a living. They cut trees to make buildings and boats. They caught fish and whales for food.

Glaciers pushed the soil from New England into the middle colonies. The soil was rich, deep, and good for farming. The growing season was longer than in New England, with more sun and rain. Colonists used riverboats on long, wide rivers such as the Hudson and Delaware. They sent crops to sell in nearby towns. Colonists also hunted deer and beaver for food and fur.

The southern colonies had the best climate and land for farming. It was warm almost all year long. The soil was rich. The growing season lasted for seven to eight months. The many waterways along the southern coast formed the tidewater region. The fall line was along the Appalachian Mountain range. There, rivers flowed from higher lands to lower lands. The backcountry was the land in back of the area where most colonists settled. It was steep and covered with forests. Farms were small, colonists hunted and fished for food.

5. The Southern Colonies

Virginia was the first successful southern colony. While Puritan zeal was fueling New England's mercantile development, and Penn's Quaker experiment was turning the middle colonies into America's bread basket, the South was turning to cash crops. Geography and motive rendered the development of these colonies distinct from those that lay to the North.

Immediately to Virginia's north was Maryland. Begun as a Catholic experiment, the colony's economy would soon come to mirror that of Virginia, as tobacco became the most important crop. To the south lay the Carolinas, created after the English Civil War had been concluded. In the Deep South was Georgia, the last of the original thirteen colonies. Challenges from Spain and France led the king to desire a buffer zone between the cash crops of the Carolinas and foreign enemies. Georgia, a colony of debtors, would fulfill that need.

English American Southerners would not enjoy the generally good health of their New England counterparts. Outbreaks of malaria and yellow fever kept life expectancies lower. Since the northern colonies attracted religious dissenters, they tended to migrate in families. Such family connections were less prevalent in the South.

The economy of growing cash crops would require a labor force that would be unknown north of Maryland. Slaves and indentured servants, although present in the North, were much more important to the South. They were the backbone of the Southern economy.

Settlers in the Southern colonies came to America to seek economic prosperity they could not find in Old England. The English countryside provided a grand existence of stately manors and high living. But rural England was full, and by law those great estates could only be passed on to the eldest son. America provided more space to realize a lifestyle the new arrivals could never dream to achieve in their native land.

Colonies

• Maryland
• Virginia
• North Carolina
• South Carolina
• Georgia

Climate and Geography

The Southern Colonies enjoyed warm climate with hot summers and mild winters. Geography ranged from coastal plains in the east to piedmont farther inland. The westernmost regions were mountainous. The soil was perfect for farming and the growing season was longer than in any other region. Hot summers, however, propagated diseases such as malaria and yellow fever.

Religion

Most people in the Southern Colonies were Anglican (Baptist or Presbyterian), though most of the original settlers from the Maryland colony were Catholic, as Lord Baltimore founded it as a refuge for English Catholics. Religion did not have the same impact on communities as in the New England colonies or the Mid-Atlantic colonies because people lived on plantations that were often distant and spread out from one another.

Economy

The Southern economy was almost entirely based on farming. Rice, indigo, tobacco, sugarcane, and cotton were cash crops. Crops were grown on large plantations where slaves and indentured servants worked the land. In fact, Charleston, South Carolina became one of the centers of the American slave trade in the 1700’s.

13 Colonies Regions

How were the Southern Colonies affected by its geography?

How did the location of a farm in the Southern Colonies affect the kind of crops that were grown?

Why was the geography of the Southern Colonies suitable for farming?

Why did the struggle for rich farmland affect the colonist in Virginia?