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Britain has been one of the most vigorous ruling classes in the history of the world. Once Britain was adequately established, it was separated into different areas geographically. There were three areas, namely New England, the Middle, and the Southern Colonies. Many people believe that since these regions come under the same country, they would be entirely alike. These colonies are similar; however, there are significant differences if we take a deeper look into these regions’ social and economic factors independently.
New England colonies included New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Plymouth, Massachusetts, while the middle colonies were Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, and New Jersey. The southern ones were Maryland, Virginia, Georgia, and Carolina. Since new England and the southern regions were on separate sides of America, it is no surprise that both had a different climate. The southern side was much hotter, and people there led a harsh climatic life, whereas New England had a far cooler temperature and had a longer life expectancy by ten years because of the ease of climate. Many people preferred and migrated to the New England region because of the ability to lead life easily and be less prone to diseases than the other two colonies. New England middle and southern colonies had a difference in soil too. The southern and middle regions were fertile; the soil was rich, which enabled these two colonies to rely on agriculture a lot. The middle colonies had swift rivers flowing, and farmers were lucky with cash crop growing and cattle raising. Mining was another common economic practice in the middle. The southern colonies had coastal plains, and wealthy farmers owned many plantations. Their cash crops were tobacco and rice. Although it is true that new England was more relaxed and had clean water up north, which prevented the spread of diseases, the soil was infertile, so the economy could not rely on cash crops. Instead, they focused on manufacturing and trading more. Fishing and lumber were primary sources of economic benefit. These factors tell us that all the colonies had different natural resources; however, they could capitalize on these differences to earn profits and support the economy.
Southern middle and New England colonies were different in terms of religious tolerance as well. These differences might not shine through today, but they were much more considerable back in the 1700s. The puritans dominated New England, and religion was strictly followed in all practices. There was a strict set of religious traditions, and the people in these areas were religiously very intolerant. Compared to this area, the middle and southern regions showed far more religious tolerance because they depended on plantations for survival and often lived at a distance, making religion a lesser issue. It is also true that there were mixed religions in these regions, making them more religiously tolerant. Although they were different in terms of religious aspects and geography, the primary reason for establishing all these colonies was to support the King of England financially and extend the British rule and command over a considerable reach geographically. All the regions could participate in global trade to earn more income and strengthen their economies due to their manufacturing power and cash crops. Another similarity is that the colonists found themselves superior to other races and regions of the world.
Middle southern and new England colonies all had easy access to water routes owing to their proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Their coasts and rivers made navigation by water more manageable, and trade routes became simpler for them. On the contrary, all the parts had their separate governing systems, even though they were all a democracy. The New England colonies followed theocracy. It meant that the government was always under the control of the church. The middle and southern regions had the government independent of the church; they did not find it suitable to mingle the two, owing to their religious diversity and tolerance. A striking similarity despite different governments was that they either followed proprietary or royal systems of government. Every provincial colony was termed as a royal colony and came directly under the King’s control. Each region also had proprietary areas where a person or a family (all whites) were in charge of making laws and appointing people to look after the governing factors of the region.
New England middle and southern colonies comparison remain incomplete if one does not consider the different class systems in each region. Although they were all comparatively developed and modern colonies, there were severe class distributions. New England did not divide itself into any different class systems. There was a single class which was known as the middle class. All-New England parts supported each other when it came to the class system rather than causing rifts. However, the middle colonies did have a two-class system that caused a small division. The people here were divided efficiently into the upper and the middle class. The upper class was mainly landowners with a wealthy and lavish lifestyle, and the middle class was farmers settled in the cities. Smaller farmers did not earn as much as these merchants and landowners and found it challenging to meet the needs of a lavish life and only had enough to meet everyday expenses. The southern colonies were comparatively the classiest of all regions. They had a strict class system that divided them into three classes. The upper class was wealthy planters with growing political control and wealth. They even grew strong enough to dictate the church and choose ministers. They even had control over the disbursement of charity. The lower class were the comparative poor white people. They worked as craftsmen and yeomen. The women in this class also worked hard to make ends meet. They would focus on making cloth, cheese, and candles to earn money. The final class was poor Negros, who were slaves and were not considered a class by the regions.
All the colonies indeed appeared to be quite similar in an outward approach to people because they all came under the control of the British King and did have similar practices like democracy and an excellent grip over trade and manufacturing power. However, a deeper look into matters makes one realize that the differences are far more deep-rooted than the superficial similarities. All the parts have a great divide due to different social practices, economic factors, and the different approaches towards their governments and religious tolerance. All these were further sealed due to a geographical difference as well.