The Mid-Atlantic Colonies

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

Before you begin learning about the Mid-Atlantic colonies, take some time to review what you learned about the New England colonies. Look through the chart and visual presentation you created. As you study the Mid-Atlantic colonies, begin thinking about how the colonies in the different regions compare.

The Mid-Atlantic colonial region is sometimes referred to as the Middle colonies.

The very first English colony was established in the Mid-Atlantic region at Jamestown, Virginia. Other colonies in the Mid-Atlantic region included Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.

While the New England colonies were mostly founded for the purpose of religious freedom; the Mid-Atlantic colonies were mostly founded to expand Great Britain's trade opportunities, and trade made the Mid-Atlantic a wealthy region. The Mid-Atlantic region is also unique because most of the colonies did not start out in British possession.

Draw the following chart on a piece of paper. You can continue the chart on the same piece of paper that you used to create your New England colonies chart:

Fill in each of the sections on the chart as you watch Mr. Zoller's Thirteen Colonies: the Middle Colonies (below):

You can also find additional information on Social Studies for Kids' The Thirteen American Colonies: Characteristics of the Colonies.

Look at the information you recorded today and compare it to the information you recorded about the New England colonies. How are the regions alike? How are they different? Share your responses with a friend or family member.