Middle and Southern Colonies free essay sample

The Middle and Northern colonies differed considerably in their geographical aspects, leading to dissimilar social and political features. The Middle colonies, including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware all shared the benefit of flat land and rich soil, while the New England Colonies were left with a rocky landscape that made farming difficult. Thus, the New England colonies, including Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire thrived on lumber and fish, rather than crops. They developed a large shipbuilding industry, and due to the abundance of fish such as cod, their fishing industry grew as well. However, in comparison to the Middle Colonies, the New England colonies’ government revolved around religion. The Puritan religion was a major influence in the way of life and it affected the way they governed. The difference in the geography affects the way the Middle and Northern Colonies were able to thrive economically and socially, and the way they governed their people. We will write a custom essay sample on Middle and Southern Colonies or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Middle Colonies’ social aspects revolved around vast farmlands, ideal for farming. The soil was rich and fertile, better than the New England Colonies, and the area had a mild climate with warm summers and cold winters. Education was less popular in importance, as most parents believed children should learn to run the family farm rather than focus of their studies. Because of the benefit of the soil and the excellent growing season, they socially focused on growing crops and farmed, but they had an important shipbuilding center as well. Additionally, New York and Philadelphia were two great areas that served the purpose of trading via all the harbors to import and export goods, including crops like wheat and grains. Unlike the New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies had a lot of diversity. This is due to the fact that the Middle Colonies attracted various groups of people because they had a greater religious tolerance than the New England Colonies did, and the fact that they were affected differently, socially, due to the fertile land. The New England Colonies’ social aspects were different, because of the lack of fertile soil. The climate was colder than the other two colonial regions because of its location being so far up north, killing several people. The land was scattered with hills and showered with rocks, making it hard to  farm. In addition, they had a shorter growing season, so growing crops was a struggle all around. Social castes were not present at the time, as most colonists started out poor. Fortunately, they had a large quantity of natural resources, being almost completely depended on by the colonists. Instead of farming, the colonists took advantage of the rivers and forests that surrounded them. They developed a strong shipbuilding business, using the lumber from the forests to construct the ships. Boston was one of the more significant cities for shipbuilding. They also found great value in furs. Because of the plentiful supply of natural resources, the colonists were able to trade to o ther countries, receiving slaves in return. Although farming was prominent, the primary focus was working with the natural resources that were provided to them. The New England Colonies’ based their government strictly around religion. Puritans had self-government, meaning they enforced laws and rules for themselves. Religious tolerance was unheard of in the Northern Colonies, and their laws were extremely harsh. Some people disliked the way of ruling and the Puritan leaders’ beliefs, and escaped or were banished. A good example of this was a man named Roger Williams who wanted more religious freedom in the New England colonists than was offered. He later founded Rhode Island, where they were extremely tolerant of the religion and people could worship how they liked. Political aspects in the Middle colonies were similar in a sense of similar set-up, but the fact that the New England Colonies were so dramatically intolerant makes the difference more significant. It was different, because the Middle colonies were tolerant of religion unlike the Northern Colonies. Similarly, the government was established with a royal governor after British rule was established. Governors helped rule, and they chose a council to assist with important decision making. Pennsylvania was especially tolerant, and even let citizens vote for representatives. Quakers resided here as well, including William Penn, demonstrating the religious tolerance they had. In conclusion, the geographical differences affected the way the Middle and New England Colonies’ thrived and existed. Though similar and dissimilar, they both had similar goals to achieve success. The Northern colonies thrived through lumber and fishing, and the Middle colonies thrived harvesting their crops. Although the New England Colonies were extremely intolerant of religions, they governed fairly similarly. Taking these things into hand, the Middle and New England Colonies struggled to success.