The Southern Colonies
By Evan Thigpen
Jamestown, Virginia
Jamestown, founded in 1607, was the first colony that was established in the "New World". Since Jamestown was the first English settlement its religion was based upon that of the Church of England. It's economy relied on the production of it's cash crop, tobacco. When Jamestown was first founded it was to be a corporate colony, this meant that the profits made in the colony went to the individual/company that the colony was owned by. Later on this corporate charter was revoked by England due to the profits being made on tobacco. But something else known as the House of Bergesses was added. The House of Bergesses was the first legislative assembly in the American colonies.
Maryland
Maryland was the second southern colony that was created. It was founded in 1634 by Lord Baltimore. He was given this land in proprietary to repay for money that the king owed him. In Maryland there was no established religion but there was freedom of worship. The major cash crops that the economy ran off of was the production of tobacco.
The Carolina's
Founded in 1633 was the Carolina's. Named after King Charles II by the eight proprietors that founded the Carolina's because the land had been given to them by the king. Once one big Carolina that ran from the bottom border of Virginia all the way down to where modern day Florida is, split years later into two separate colonies known as the North and South Carolina's.
North Carolina
In 1712 North Carolina separated from South Carolina due to tensions rising between the northern and southern parts of the Carolina's. These tensions were due to the south thinking that they had to support themselves along with the northern part of the colony. The official religion in the north was Anglican. Anglican was the religion associated with the Church of England. North Carolina had no real cash crop but rather harvested the sap or turpentine or tar out of trees that was used in the ship building industries of Massachusetts.
South Carolina
After the split of 1712 the southern part of the Carolina's became known as South Carolina. It , just like North Carolina, had the official religion of Anglican. But in another aspect South Carolina actually did have a cash crop. South Carolina actually had two cash crops which were Rice and later on Indigo.
Georgia
Georgia was the last Southern colony to be established and the 13th of all the colonies to be established. It was not established until 1732, which was about 50 years after the 12th colony of Pennsylvania was established. It was first established to be used as a buffer zone to house debtors and protect the other colonies. Back in the 1700's if you were in debt you would be put in debtors prison, these prisons were getting full so James Oglethorpe, who founded Georgia, had the idea to move some debots into the new world below South Carolina. When it was established the official religion became Anglican. Georgia did not really have a cash crop other than growing some rice. Becasue how how it was set up and started Georgia was a royal colony.