Colonial Regions Comparison Matrix

New England colonies

Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire

Middle colonies

New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware

Southern colonies

Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia

New England colonies

Rocky soil, short growing season, cold winters, abundant forests, natural harbors

Middle colonies

Fertile soil, milder winters, longer growing season, navigable rivers

Southern colonies

Fertile soil, long growing season, warm/humid climate, broad rivers, coastal plains

New England colonies

English puritans, small numbers of skilled tradesmen and farmed, religious dissenters (e.g., Rhode Island)

Middle colonies

Diverse mix: English, Dutch, Germans, Scottish-Irish, Swedes; attracted by fertile land and tolerance

Southern colonies

English settlers, Anglican loyalists, indentured servants, enslaved Africans; later Scottish-Irish and Germans

New England colonies

Close-knit, religiously focused communities; strong emphasis on education to read the Bible; town meetings; communal responsibility

Middle colonies

Cosmopolitan mix of rural farms and urban ports; religious and cultural diversity fostered tolerance

Southern colonies

Plantation-based hierarchy; wealthy planters at top, small farmers, indentured servants, and enslaved Africans at bottom; less emphasis on public education

New England colonies

Longest (~65-70 years) due to healthier climate, cleaner water, better nutrition

Middle colonies

Moderate (~60-65 years) due to good farmland and mixed economy

Southern colonies

Shortest (~40-50 years) due to disease (malaria, yellow fever), harsh climate, and labor conditions

New England colonies

Town meetings, direct democracy; Mayflower Compact (1620) set precedent for self-government; Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639)

Middle colonies

Royal and proprietary colonies with elected assemblies; more tolerance and flexibility in governance

Southern colonies

House of Burgesses in Virginia (1619, first elected assembly); political power dominated by wealthy landowners

New England colonies

Fishing, shipbuilding, lumber, small-scale subsistence farming, trade

Middle colonies

Grain farming ("breadbasket"), fur trade, shipping, crafts

Southern colonies

Plantation agriculture (tobacco, rice, indigo), cash crops, reliance on enslaved labor

New England colonies

Puritan influence strong in laws and daily life; little tolerance for dissent; dissenters moved to Rhode Island for religious freedom

Middle colonies

Religious diversity: Quakers in Pennsylvania, Lutherans, Catholics, jews; religious tolerance laws

Anglican Church, but not as dominant as NE; Maryland founded as a refuge for Catholics (Maryland toleration Act 1649)

New England colonies

King Philip's War (1675-1676) with Wampanoag tribe; Pequot War (1636-1638), conflicts over Native land

Middle colonies

Occasional tension between ethnic groups due to land disputes, slavery

Southern colonies

Bacon's Rebellion (1675); frequent Native conflicts (Anglo-Powhatan Wars); slave uprisings (Stono Rebellion, 1739)

New England colonies

Mayflower Compact (1620); Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639) Model of Christian Charity

Charter of Liberties (1701, Pennsylvania); colonial charters granting freedoms

Southern colonies

Maryland Toleration Act (1649); Virginia colonial charter; slave codes

New England colonies

John Winthrop ("City upon a Hill"), Roger Williams (Rhode island founder), Anne Hutchinson (religious dissenter)

Middle colonies

William Penn (Pennsylvania founder), Peter Stuyvesant (Dutch governor of the New Netherlands)

Southern colonies

John Smith (Jamestown leader), Lord Baltimore (Maryland founder), James Oglethorpe (Georgia founder)