The thirteen colonies were the perfect way to start our country. Because of where they were located, they gave our nation some of the defining cultural aspects we still see today. The colonies were split into three main sections: the southern colonies, the middle colonies, and the New England colonies. Each different area was responsible for providing different goods or services for the others. The southern colonies were based off production of large cash crops on plantations. The middle colonies had land that was fertile to grow small local farms but didn't have the capability to handle the size or labor of a cash crop. The New England colonies were a big religious experiment. They were the first time anyone had really had religious freedom to practice what they pleased, so it was something people had to get used to. .
The southern colonies were where most of the food for the colonies was produced. The southern colonies had the ideal land for agriculture and farming. The growing season was perfect because it lasted longer because of how far south they were located. They grew cash crops, which were huge fields planted with a very cheep crop that they could make a profit when sold. The cash crops were very labor intensive, so rather than do the work themselves, the colonists began using slave labor. This was and continued to be a defining characteristic of the south up until the end of the civil war. Most of these large farms turned into the southern plantations.
The middle colonies didn't have the huge amounts of land that the southern colonies grew cash crops on, but they had very fertile soil that made for great local farms. The lumber and shipbuilding industry had great success because there was an abundance of forests in the area. The middle colonies were the most ethnically diverse. There was an influx of immigrants because of the civil unrest in Europe. Because of all the different ethnicities, the middle colonies had a very diverse array of religions.
