MARYLAND 1632 - the land is given to Sir George

Calvert from King Charles I He envisions a colony where Catholics can

practice their religion freely Calvert dies, leaving his son, Lord

Baltimore, to settle the colony Land grants are given to attract settlers 1649 – Act of Toleration is passed to

provide religious freedom to all Christians.

THE CAROLINAS The northern section is mostly comprised of

poor tobacco farmers from Virginia. Further south, 8 English nobles receive a land

grant from King Charles II in 1663. They settle in Charleston.

Rice and Indigo become valuable cash crops Planters import slaves from Africa to cultivate

these crops. 1712 – the colony splits between North

Carolina and South Carolina.

Georgia 1732 – James Ogelthorpe establishes the

colony as a safe haven for debtors. First settlement is Savannah. Originally, slavery was forbidden, and farms

could be no larger than 500 acres. Plantations and slave labor are later

allowed, allowing the colony to prosper. England hoped that Georgia would serve as

a buffer between the Carolinas and Florida.

Tidewater Plantations Rich farmland located along rivers and

creeks of the coastal plain. VA, MD, NC: major tobacco growing areas. SC, GA: rice and indigo. Slaves do most of the work on these

plantations. Only a small percentage of white

southerners owned large plantations, yet these planters set the Southern style of life.

The Backcountry South

Rolling hills and thick forests located at the base of the Appalachian Mts.

More democratic, people are seen as equals.

Tend small fields of corn or tobacco Close knit families who work together

to husk corn or build barns.

The Growth of Slavery By 1700, Southern plantations rely on slave

labor. Some are skilled workers, such as carpenters or

blacksmiths. Some work in the Great House as cooks or servants.

Slave Codes – laws passed to regulate slave behavior and deny them their rights

Viewed as property, not human beings. Planters viewed the black Africans as being

inferior to the white Europeans. This belief that one race is superior to another is called racism.