Historical Overview From Original Unit

Historical Overview
Colonial Americans were by no means a homogeneous bunch. In fact, one of the clearest ways
of distinguishing among colonial Americans is by examining how economic activities affected
their lives. In the Northern Colonies, a mostly English population participated in a variety of
economic activities, as environmental conditions were poorly suited for the development of the
kind of large-scale agriculture of the South. People in the North focused on smaller-scale
agriculture, proto-industry in individual homes, extractive industries (such as lumbering, mining,
and fishing), and commercial activity. The geographic location of the Middle Colonies paved the
way for the development of key port cities throughout the colonial period, such as New
Amsterdam (later New York) and Philadelphia, which served as colonial Americas largest
commercial centers. The presence of such large commercial centers helped the Middle
Colonies develop into the most diverse places in British North America, with a cosmopolitan mix
of Dutch, Scots-Irish, English, African, and German immigrants. In the Southern Colonies large-
scale agriculture became most fully developed in colonial America. Fueled by the notorious
triangular trade, a growing population of enslaved Africans worked the fields of the burgeoning
tobacco, indigo, and rice plantations; many of which were later converted to cotton in the
colonial South.

It could be argued, in fact, that the South was entirely different in most facets from the Northern
and Middle Colonies. As the population of indentured servants declined throughout the
seventeenth century, mostly due to the fact that once they became free, former indentured
servants typically had no land or skill and therefore formed a potentially dangerous and
unsettling mob of roving, landless, and free young white men, Southern land-owners turned
increasingly to the importation of enslaved Africans. This growing African population
contributed to the rise of a unique and certainly peculiar society. Historians have chronicled at
length the ascent of a distinctive African American culture from the establishment of the
institution of slavery in the American south. The fact that this highly stratified and largely un-free
society gave birth to an entirely new African American culture makes the south stand apart from
both the Northern and Middle Colonies. This is not to say that both free and enslaved African
Americans did not live in the Northern or Middle Colonies during the colonial period, because
they most certainly did. But rather the intensity and concentration of African American slavery
and culture in the Southern Colonies was remarkable and thus made the South stand apart.

Despite all of the marked differences among colonial regions, one integral similarity did develop.
By the eighteenth century, most American colonists considered themselves fully British[1]
subjects,
endowed with all of the political rights of Englishmen embedded in the British Constitution.
Aided by the political neglect with which England[2] treated her American colonies, especially
after the Glorious Revolution of 1688, a sense and tradition of self-government developed
among the American colonists. Whether it was the kind of participatory democracy emerging
from the New England town or the traditions of republicanism emanating from the Southern
Colonies, particularly Virginia [in fact, part of what makes the colonial South so interesting is the
development of republicanism alongside slavery], American colonists increasingly fashioned
themselves full English citizens with every right as any other English citizen to representation in
the English Parliament. It was this powerful sense of political entitlement that would overcome
potent regional differences and eventually encourage the colonists to march together down the
road to revolution.

Challenges for Students:

Unit Abstract:
In this unit, students examine the life in the colonies with a focus on the economic and
political developments in the colonies prior to the end of the French and Indian War[3].
After reviewing the early settlement patterns and the development of the colonies,
students examine life in the New England and Middle colonies through the lenses of
different social scientists (geographer, economist, political scientist, and anthropologist).
They construct Venn diagrams to compare these different colonial regions. In exploring
the Southern colonies, students explore two different informational texts and assess
their treatment of the same topic, and then compare life in the Southern colonies to the
other colonial regions. Students continue their exploration of slavery in the colonies by
learning about the horrors of the Middle Passage and the slave trade and their
consequence for both continents. They investigate the evolution and development of
the peculiar institution of slavery, noting the transition in the labor force from indentured
servitude to racial slavery, as they analyze factors that led to the growth of slavery in
some regions more than others. Through literature, students examine how slavery
impacted the lives of enslaved Africans as well as how Africans drew upon their African
past to develop a distinct African-American culture. Connections to the present are
made as students briefly explore how recent archaeological projects are adding to our
understanding of Africans in the colonies. Students then focus on the colonial
economy, exploring how different colonial regions developed based upon the available
productive resources and specialization. The economic relationship between England
and her colonies is examined as students begin to explore the growing attempts by
England to control colonial trade. Through an examination of the role of colonial
governments, students build upon their understanding of the Mayflower Compact,
House of Burgesses, and town meetings. Students investigate how colonial political
experiences during the first half of the 18th Century influenced

[1] Technically, inhabitants of the British Empire were not citizens but subjects of the British crown. In
1707, the separate kingdoms of Scotland and England became united in the single kingdom of Great
Britain. Therefore, unless referring specifically to the territory of England, most state institutions after
1707 were British, not English.
[2] The use of England is correct here because the sentence refers to period before 1707.
[3] The French and Indian War is the name typically ascribed to the conflict in North America between
1754 and 1763. The Seven Years War describes the larger global conflict between European empires
between 1756 and 1763, which was instigated by events in North America.

Focus Questions
1. How did economic activities contribute to the significant differences among the
colonial regions?
2. How did colonial political experiences influence how colonists viewed their rights
and responsibilities?
3. How did the institution of slavery affect colonial development and life in the
colonies?

Content Expectations
5 U2.1.1: Describe significant developments in the Southern colonies,
including:
development of colonial representative assemblies (House of Burgesses)
development of one-crop economies (plantation land use and growing
season for rice in Carolinas and tobacco in Virginia).[1]
(portions omitted)
5 U2.1.2: Describe significant developments in the New England colonies,
including:
the development of government including establishment of town
meetings, development of colonial legislatures and growth of royal
government
growth of agricultural (small farms) and non-agricultural (shipping,
manufacturing) economies.
(portions omitted)
5 U2.1.3: Describe significant developments in the Middle Colonies, including:
patterns of settlement and control including the impact of geography
(landforms and climate) on settlement
the growth of Middle Colonies economies (e.g., breadbasket).
(portions omitted)
5 U2.2.1: Describe Triangular Trade including:
the trade routes
the people and goods that were traded
the Middle Passage
its impact on life in Africa.
5 U2.2.2: Describe the life of enslaved Africans and free Africans in the
American colonies.
 5 U2.2.3: Describe how Africans living in North America drew upon their
African past (e.g., sense of family, role of oral tradition) and adapted elements of
new cultures to develop a distinct African-American culture.
5 U2.3.1: Locate the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies on a map.
5 U2.3.2: Describe the daily life of people living in the New England, Middle,
and Southern colonies.
5 U2.3.3: Describe colonial life in America from the perspectives of at least
three different groups of people (e.g., wealthy landowners, farmers, merchants,
indentured servants, laborers and the poor, women, enslaved people, free
Africans, and American Indians).
5 U2.3.4: Describe the development of the emerging labor force in the
colonies (e.g., cash crop farming, slavery, indentured servants).
5 U2.3.5: Make generalizations about the reasons for regional differences in
colonial America.

Common Core State Standards

RI.5.3: Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more
individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text
based on specific information in the text.

RI.5.7: Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources,

demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a
problem efficiently.

RI.5.9: Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order
to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

RL.5.2: Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the

text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how
the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

RL.5.3: Compare and contrast two or more characters, settings, or events

in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., how characters
interact).

SL.5.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-

one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and
texts, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly.

a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied

required materials; explicitly draw on that preparation and
 other information known about the topic to explore ideas
under discussion.

b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out

assigned roles.

c. Pose and respond to specific questions by making

comments that contribute to the discussion and elaborate on
the remarks of others.

d. Review the key ideas expressed and draw conclusions in

light of information and knowledge gained from the
discussions.

SL.5.4: Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas

logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support
main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

W.5.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey

ideas and information clearly.

a. Introduce a topic clearly, provide a general observation and

focus, and group related information logically; include formatting (e.g.,
headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details,

quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.

c. Link ideas within and across categories of information using

words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., in contrast, especially).

d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to

inform about or explain the topic.

e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the

information or explanation presented.

W.5.3: Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events

using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Key Concepts
colonial self-government
culture
economic activities
generalizations
government
labor force
point of view/perspective
regional differences
regions
royal government
slavery
Triangular Trade

Duration
6 weeks

Lesson Sequence
Lesson 1: Life in the New England Colonies
Lesson 2: Life in the Middle Colonies
Lesson 3: Life in the Southern Colonies
Lesson 4: Comparing Colonial Regions
Lesson 5: Triangular Trade and the Middle Passage
Lesson 6: Slavery in the Colonies
Lesson 7: The Colonial Economy
Lesson 8: Colonial Government: Foundations of Self-Government
Lesson 9: Colonial Life from Different Perspectives

Assessment
Selected Response Items
Constructed Response Items
Extended Response Items
Performance Assessments

[1] Note that the term "one-crop economies as used in this expectation is not the proper historical term.
Rather, the proper reference should be to "staple-crops." For instance, South Carolina planters grew rice,
cotton, and indigo. While the South Carolina economy grew more than one type of crop, it relied heavily
on plantation-grown staple crops, which increased reliance of slave labor.