Southern Colonies General Characteristics Plantation economy tobacco Rice

Southern Colonies

General Characteristics • Plantation economy: tobacco & Rice • Slavery in all • Large land holdings in the hands of the few • Sparsely populated • some sort of religious tolerance • Expansionary attitude developed

The Chesapeake

The Carolinas

Carolinas • Impact of British West Indies: Barbados became too crowded so they came to Carolina • Restoration Colony • 1663 King Charles II created colony by granting the territory to loyal supporters • Goals: – Grow foodstuff for sugar plantations in Barbados – Export non-English products • Exported Indians as slaves • Rice main cash crop for export • Charles Town (Charleston) – most active seaport in South; religious toleration ; founded 1670 by 200 colonists from Barbados

North Carolina • VA colonists began to settle N. Carolina region in 1653 to provide a buffer for southern frontier • Created 1712 – Refuge for poor whites and religious dissenters • Most democratic & independent • Least aristocratic • Treated Amerindians ruthlessly • started out as a Proprietary colony • obtained Royal charter in 1729

South Carolina 1663 • site of the first European settlement in North America – 1526 San Miguel de Gualdape est by settlers from Hispanolia; initially landed in S. Carolina but ended up moving to an area of the Carolina region that would eventually become Georgia; returned to Hispanolia after suffering many deaths due disease • South Carolina started out as a Proprietary colony; became a Royal colony in 1719.

Georgia • • 1773 James Oglethorpe Haven for debtors buffer state against Spanish and Indians • Diverse communities • No Catholics