The 13 colonies contained many immigrants from all over Europe. Three regions were created out of the 13 colonies: the New England Colonies, Middle Colonies, and Southern Colonies. The way they divided it was by distinction between the three major areas. The 3 were distincted through slavery, agriculture, the way of prospering, and cultures in the regions. New England Colonies The majority of people in the New England Colonies were farmers and others worked in the ocean. In fact,near the coast of New England lies the best fishing ground in the world. Their forests were perfect for harvesting the fish they caught. Fish and timber were really important articles of trade that cities near the coast grew wealthy. The New England Colonies had rocky soil and long winters. Long winters mean that they have a short amount of time during growing season. In order to fix this, farmers used a skill called subsistance farming when all farmers produce enough food and some more for trades. Colonial officials would sell large plots of land to groups of people like the parish of a Puritan church. Farmers lived near towns and with each other to make a living out of it instead of walking far distances. The Triangular Trade (top photo to the right) was based in New England, the West Indies, and Africa. The trade was really successful that England felt like they should get in some of the action by making the Navigation Acts. They only did this to benefit out of the trading business. Turns out they did pretty well since England is still here to this day. A lot of slaves did not cut it in New England because of the long winters. Most slaves only worked in their owner's house. Lots of slaves had bought their way to freedom. Even if they were free, white colonists still mistreated the blacks. The Puritans slowly lost power as other religions like Baptists and Anglicans came into the spotlight in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Other than that, the royal charter in New England mentioned how the Puritans don't have control of voting or property. Middle Colonies/Breadbasket Colonies The Middle Colonies was full of a diverse amount of cultures that are from all around Europe with the English being the majority. There were so much people that Native Americans were forced out of the settlements for the immigrants. The diverse amount of people meant that it will prosper a lot during the years. For example, agricultural methods were developed by Dutch and German farmers. These agricultural methods created excess food, which created cash crops. Cash crops are just crops made with a purpose of earning money. One cash crop they are known to make is grain (middle photo to the right). They made grain so much that the Middle Colonies was renamed the "Breadbasket" Colonies. The grain was brought to a gristmill to crush the grain to make meals for many, especially colonists. Colonists usually eat 1 pound of grain each day, which is three times more grain than the average American eats. If you ever saw a city in the Middle Colonies, you'll most likely compare it to present-day cities. It's because the streets in the cities are all paved with buildings everywhere. Germans arrived and contributed to the society by giving their craftsmanship traditions to others. There was so many religion in the Middle Colonies that there was a climate of tolerance among others. Out of the whole population, 7% were enslaved in the Middle Colonies. Southern Colonies The Southern Colonies were famous for having a lot of plantations and enslaved people. In all of Colonial America in 1750, more than 235,000 enslaved Africans were brought into America. After this, about 40% of the South Colonies' population were all enslaved. You might ask why there are so many of them in here. The area had an almost year-round growing season ideal for making rice and tobacco. The thing is these types of ideal crops require lots of labor. In order to fulfill this task, enslaved people did the work. As they got money, they continued on with their life being slave-free. That was bad for business, so the planters turned towards enslaved Africans. They tried hiring a few Africans and Native Americans, but after remembering how their ancestors died because of their disease, they ran away. The planters had no choice but to go to enslaved Africans from Western areas. The growth of slavery also meant the growth of plantation farming in South Carolina and Georgia. Planters became stronger and made an "elite planter class." They had ultimate power over the slaves. Enslaved people had contributed to the plantations big time. They work 15 hours each day and only get a tiny room with a folding bed and 1/4 bushel of corn and a pound of pork weekly. To make sure enslaved people did their business, overseers were hired to make planters look professional and check if slaves do their fair share of work. Enslaved people couldn't take it, so there were some rebellions like the Stono Rebellion.