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Southern Colonies Benefits

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In the early 1600’s the English started to look westward for new land and to find a way to make more money. They couldn’t afford to send people so they subcontracted the colonization of North America to private firms and individuals looking for a potentially beneficial investment. As a result all three colonial regions had a major thing in common; they were initially an investment opportunity. The first successful colony, Virginia, was formed in the southern colonies. It was intended to be a source of wealth for England by providing cash crops such as tobacco and, eventually, a new market for English goods. Virginia gained the nickname “child of tobacco” due to the amount it grew. The short winters and warm summers were ideal for growing …show more content…

The north colonies had a harsher and longer winter and had short summers. Due to this the north didn’t have cash crops. Families formed small farms to support themselves and to have small trades with fellow neighbors. They had to build their houses and clear patches of woods to make farms and built fences for livestock with their bare hands. There was no need for slaves unless you were rich and could afford to have them. The life expectancy here was much greater than the south. Most people lived up to seventy years. Women married and had kids at twenty and had a kid every two years. Education was very important. The first college was founded in 1636 for preachers and priest. They had a much more diverse economy since they couldn’t grow cash crops. They believed in religion freedom but only for them. The governmental institution and the method by which land was distributed differed greatly between the south and north. The northern colonies land was given to families that joined together to form towns. While in the south, land was handed out in huge pieces to individuals that were wealthy and well connected. This is a main reason plantations formed. Four hundred thousand slaves were brought to the colonies. Harsh slave codes were passed allowing slave owners to punish slaves however they pleased. There were very few towns in the south and most governed by

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