Colonial South and the Chesapeake facts for kids

During the British colonization of North America, the Thirteen Colonies helped England by providing money and resources. The colonies in the South and Chesapeake Bay area developed a culture different from the Northern and Middle Colonies. Their way of life was also different from their home country, Britain.

How the Colonies Made Money

Farming and Crops

While indigo and rice were grown, tobacco became the most important crop for the Chesapeake and Southern colonies. It grew easily and was in high demand around the world. This made the regions where tobacco was grown very rich.

As farming became more important, more workers were needed. At first, people used indentured servants. These were people who agreed to work for a set number of years in exchange for passage to America. But this system wasn't efficient enough. Native Americans were hard to enslave. So, farmers in the South started bringing in enslaved people from Africa to work. These enslaved people greatly changed farming methods and the way society worked in the South.

Trading Goods

The main goods traded were tobacco, lumber, grain, and boats.

Local Economy and Land

The local economy in the Southern and Chesapeake colonies was shaped by the headright system. This system gave 50 acres of land to anyone who settled in Virginia. It also gave land to anyone who paid for an immigrant's trip to Virginia. The idea was to encourage people to settle and own small farms. On these farms, they could grow crops like indigo, rice, and especially tobacco for profit.

Social standing depended on how much wealth a person had. The best way to get rich was to get more land for farming. Bringing over indentured servants was an easy way for wealthy planters to get more land. So, many rich people brought in large numbers of indentured servants. Buying and selling land also became common. Ship captains would sell the land they received for bringing in servants. This led to large plantations growing near the Atlantic Coast. It also meant there wasn't much city life. Small farmers were often pushed to live in the back country, where there were often conflicts with Native Americans.

Because of the headright system, the local economy was mostly rural. Society became divided. There were rich landowners near the Atlantic and poorer farmers in the back country. These poorer farmers often faced attacks from Native Americans. Former indentured servants also struggled to afford good land. To make things worse, tobacco prices were unstable due to the Navigation Acts. This caused a long economic depression. One result of this divided society and economic hardship was Bacon's Rebellion. Farmers, wanting land used by Native Americans, attacked local tribes and the government. This event led to more enslaved people being bought from Africa. Since enslaved people often spoke different languages, they were seen as easier to control.

Global Trade and Slavery

Global trade in the Chesapeake and Southern colonies focused on farm products. Cash crops like tobacco, rice, and indigo were the main exports. The deerskin trade was also very important for Charleston, South Carolina. Between 1699 and 1715, Charleston exported about 54,000 deer skins each year. Most of these goods went to Britain. Britain's Navigation Acts limited trade with other countries. Tobacco, rice, and indigo could only be sold to Britain. This had good and bad sides. The bad side was that trade was limited to one country, reducing potential buyers. The good side was that demand for these products kept growing, ensuring a steady market and often rising prices.

As demand for these products grew, farmers started to have extra money. This led to a big increase in the import of enslaved people. Charleston became a major port for importing enslaved people. More enslaved people meant more production, more profit, and less need to pay other workers. This cycle allowed farmers to buy even more enslaved people. Enslaved people brought their knowledge from Africa, which helped with growing rice and indigo. Growing different crops was important. It helped avoid economic problems if tobacco prices dropped. Enslaved people were also a key part of the Triangular trade. The Southern and Chesapeake colonies' part of this trade involved importing enslaved people from Africa. They then exported tobacco and other goods to England.

The farming-based society shaped what the Southern colonists exported. The enslaved people brought into society influenced which crops were grown and exported. The economic benefits of using enslaved labor also increased the number of Africans imported. All this economic success led to a bigger gap between the rich and the poor. The rich became even richer and bought more enslaved people to make more money. As the wealthy class grew, they imported more luxury items to show off their success. By the early 1700s, global trade was changing Southern society a lot.

Life in the Colonies

Religion

Protestant Christianity was the main religion in the Chesapeake colonies until the late 1800s.

Social Classes

Just like in the old countries, colonial America had a strict social structure. Family background and wealth mattered a lot. Rich, white families were at the top. These families often controlled many workers. Enslaved African Americans were at the very bottom of society. They were below even the indentured servants. Indentured servants were people who came to America in exchange for years of work. Some were honest people seeking a new life. But many were criminals or poor people sent to the new world as punishment.

The largest group in the South and Chesapeake regions were merchants, vendors, and small farmers. These were the everyday citizens. They were moderately educated and skilled. They worked hard to build America. At the very top were the wealthy white families, religious leaders, judges, and large landowners. In this class, rules about manners were very strict. People were not allowed to "dress above their station." They even had to sit in church according to their social standing.

Dr. Alexander Hamilton (1712–1756) was a doctor and writer from Scotland. He lived and worked in Annapolis, Maryland. His travel diary from 1744, Gentleman's Progress: The Itinerarium of Dr. Alexander Hamilton, gives a great look at colonial American life. It describes people, manners, and both country and city life.

Slavery's Impact

In the early 1600s, people in Virginia and Maryland found that tobacco was very profitable. A lot of land was used for tobacco farms because Europe wanted so much of it. Before the 1600s, indentured servants worked the land. But then, America became less appealing to potential indentured servants. The land grants they were promised were no longer available. So, plantation owners started to bring enslaved people from Africa to do the work. Enslaved people were taken from their families in Africa. They worked all day farming, drying, and packing tobacco. Many tried to escape, but very few succeeded. If caught, they were usually brought back and punished severely.

Carolina was a slave colony from the start. Experienced enslaved people were brought from Africa to grow rice and indigo. By the 1700s, the enslaved population was larger than the white population. Lawmakers worried about the growing African population. They started to limit the number of black people imported. Another way they controlled the population was by executing enslaved people found guilty of violence against a white person.

Georgia's Story

Georgia was founded in 1733. It was meant to be a place for small farmers, and slavery was not allowed. James Oglethorpe, one of the Georgia Trustees, strongly resisted pressure to allow slavery. Later in life, Oglethorpe worked with other leaders who wanted to end slavery. However, by 1749, powerful people from South Carolina secretly brought so many enslaved people into Georgia that the Trustees couldn't stop it. Georgia soon became like South Carolina. In a few years, 15,000 enslaved black people were working on its farms.

Carolina's Development

Carolina was a slave colony from its beginning. Skilled enslaved people were brought from Africa to grow rice and indigo. By the early 1700s, the enslaved population was larger than the white population.

Who Came to Live Here?

The first successful settlement in the Chesapeake was Jamestown (1607). It was set up by the Virginia Company, so most of its people were English. Because the economy relied so much on labor for tobacco farms, the Chesapeake depended on indentured servants. However, after events like Bacon's Rebellion, plantation owners started to see enslaved people as a better investment. This change happened gradually by the 1700s. By 1750, Virginia's population had grown to 450,000 people. It was almost equally divided between African and European peoples.

Maryland was founded by George Calvert. It was meant to be a safe place for Roman Catholics. But a large part of the population was Protestant. Protestants gained control of the colony during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms.

Carolina was originally one colony. It later split into North and South Carolina because of different groups of immigrants. North Carolina adopted the farming practices and economy of Virginia. This was due to similar environments and English immigrants. South Carolina developed differently because many immigrants came from Barbados. This diversity led to the split over time. By the early 1700s, the English government limited English immigration to the colonies. This caused more Scotch-Irish and Germans to move there. These new immigrants often settled in the back country, away from the more developed coastal areas.

Family Life

The husband was the head of his home. He was expected to earn money for his family. A woman's place was at home or helping her husband. Except for children of rich families, all others were expected to start working by age 11 or 12.

Even though marriages between enslaved people were not legally recognized, enslaved people, especially women, tried to get married.

City and Country Life

Most large cities in colonial America were in New England or the Middle Colonies. In the Chesapeake Bay area, cities included only Baltimore, Maryland and Richmond, Virginia. In the Southern colonies, there were Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia. These cities were major ports for trade with Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean. They had very clear social classes based on wealth.

In the Chesapeake and Southern regions, society was based heavily on farming. So, the landscape was much more rural. A large part of the South was frontier "back country." This area was less settled and bordered Native American lands. The farming land was organized into a plantation system. This was like a large estate where wealthy landowners, often early successful settlers, owned the plantation. Enslaved people worked the land. These workers were indentured servants or, more and more, African slaves. Enslaved people made up a large part of the South's population.

The rest of the population was made up of those who were neither wealthy landowners nor enslaved. These colonists were not only British, but also German and Scots-Irish. They farmed small plots of land they owned. This group, called yeoman farmers, made up most of the European colonists in the South and Chesapeake areas. In the upland country, most free European settlers had similar wealth. They were not as divided by social class as people in the cities.

Colonial Government

How Government Worked

The first elected government was the House of Burgesses. It first met in 1619 in Virginia. The House of Burgesses, like most colonial assemblies, was elected by free, white men who owned land.

Both the Southern and Chesapeake colonies had similar governments. They had a governor and a council appointed by the King. They also had an assembly or house of representatives elected by the people. The governor had the most power. Their duties included being a judge, religious leader, military head, and appointing officials. They also led the legislature, but had no power over public funds. The council usually had 12 upper class residents of the colony. The assembly was the only group with power over money and taxes. It used this power to sometimes take power from the governor. Even with the governor's power, the assembly's ability to challenge the British-appointed governor showed the growing separation between the colonies and their mother country.

Bacon's Rebellion also showed how much influence ordinary people could have. They rebelled when they disagreed with the decisions of the upper class in government. The government was usually run by rich plantation owners. These owners already had enough land and wanted to avoid conflict. So, the poor free men rebelled by holding the House of Burgesses hostage. The rebellion succeeded for a while but fell apart when Nathaniel Bacon died. Still, it reminded everyone how much influence the average settler had in early American government.

Britain's Influence

As parts of the British Empire, the Chesapeake region and the Southern colonies were strongly influenced by Britain. Britain affected many parts of American culture. But the political power of the British Empire perhaps had the strongest effect. The political structure of the Southern Colonies and the Chesapeake region, and the way American political figures acted, reflected the structure of the British Government.

When the Southern and Chesapeake colonies were first settled, they faced many problems. These included conflicts with Native Americans. These conflicts led the King to appoint Royal Governors. These governors acted like the King and kept order in the colonies. However, many parts of the local governments stayed the same.

In 1660, the King tightened his control over the colonies. This was due to rebellions throughout the South and Chesapeake region. The Royal Government's power grew. They soon controlled the colonies' trade. New laws were passed, along with the Navigation Acts. Admiralty Courts were also set up to prevent judges from favoring colonists too much.

As rulers of the Southern and Chesapeake colonies, the Crown imposed its will. It gained control by getting involved in lawmaking. It appointed officials to run each section. These officials served as rulers far from home. New laws also forced the colonies to change how they managed their government and economy. Even though the colonies were far from Britain, the King and Parliament's strong political influence greatly affected their politics.