Differences Between Middle Colonies And New England Colonies

In the 18th century more immigrants settled in the southern colonies because in New England the lands were limited in extent and under Puritan rule, the southern colonies were more tolerant. There were many similarities in the structure of society and economy such as social mobility and self government. Some differences were caused by the amount of land available and climate. The culture and economy of the southern colonies and those of the New England colonies had similarities and differences.

There were some characteristics dealing with society shared by both the south and New England colonies. Culturally, the majority of people were of English origin, spoke English, and had English traditions. All of the colonies allowed religion freedom to some extent, some more than others; the New England colonies tended to be more strict about this. They were used to having representatives and the governments of these colonies had a representative assembly that was elected by eligible voters. There was no hereditary aristocracy or social mobility which allowed for greater opportunity and allowed Americans to raise their standard of living by working hard. In the households, most men were the leaders and English law gave
The quickest route to wealth was through land. Due to geography the opportunities in the colonies were different. In southern colonies the geography was very varied and farms ranged from small farms to large plantations. These colonies exported a lot of timber and tobacco. A shortage of indentured servants in this area led to the increased use of slaves. New England colonies suffered through long winters and rocky soil so farming was very limited and most farms were small (100 acres). These people profited mostly from logging, shipbuilding, fishing, trading, and rum distilling. Work was done by family members and occasionally hired