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Social Studies 5: Tell Me More About These Colonies 55 Views
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Description:
Today we'll learn all about the colonies in North America. Protip: The middle colonies were totally the best. Moderate weather, more diversity, and they ended up with WAY less slavery. Good times.
Transcript
- 00:05
[Dino and Coop singing]
- 00:13
You know what they say about the colonies…
- 00:15
"If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere!"
- 00:17
…Hang on…that might just be New York… [Woman stood in New York]
- 00:20
Well, anyway!
Full Transcript
- 00:21
The colonies were divided into three distinct regions, each offering something unique to [The colonies shown in different colors on a map]
- 00:25
would-be colonists.
- 00:26
First, there were the New England Colonies.
- 00:28
If you’re in the mood for turkey and cranberry sauce, New England is where you want to be. [Guy dreaming of a turkey walking past a pot of cranberry sauce]
- 00:33
That’s because New England was founded by Puritans, also known as the Pilgrims, also
- 00:37
known as the People Who Brought You Thanksgiving. [Pilgrims having a thanksgiving dinner]
- 00:40
They fled England hoping to find religious freedom, and they found it!
- 00:43
They also found a climate of cold winters, mild summers and hard rocky soil that made [Shovel digging into the soil]
- 00:48
farming difficult.
- 00:49
Without cash crops to make a living on, New Englanders turned to fishing, lumbering, fur
- 00:53
trading and mining, instead. [Coop pointing at a blackboard]
- 00:55
Of course, if they wanted something fancy, they still had to order it special from England. [Woman using a computer]
- 00:59
Amazon Prime wasn't a thing, yet.
- 01:00
If you were lacking in Puritan work ethic, but were pro-diversity, you probably would've
- 01:05
enjoyed the Middle Colonies.
- 01:06
They were largely founded by Dutch Quakers also seeking religious liberty. [Dino pointing at a blackboard]
- 01:11
In the middle colonies, just about anyone was free to practice whatever form of worship
- 01:14
they wanted.
- 01:16
Their diverse culture was also a reflection of their diverse climate.
- 01:19
Moderate weather and fertile soil made it easy to grow cash crops like cotton, fruit, [Crops popping up in a field]
- 01:24
grains…
- 01:25
… and other farm-to-table-ready foods for the enjoyment of 18th century British hipsters. [18th century people taking pictures of their food]
- 01:29
If farming wasn’t your thing, there were still plenty of other options to make a living
- 01:32
in the middle colonies, including mining, fur trading, lumber, ship-building… and,
- 01:37
depending on your moral compass, slave-trading.
- 01:39
But if you care less about religious freedom and diversity, and more about lifestyle and
- 01:43
gold, then you probably would've called the Southern Colonies home sweet home.
- 01:47
These colonies were founded by rich English gentlemen who were all about ye olde Benjamins. [Man jumps into swimming pool full of money
- 01:52
Or, actually, the pound sterling, since the US dollar wasn’t invented yet and Ben Franklin
- 01:57
was still just a kook with a key and a kite. [Franklin holding on to his kite in stormy weather]
- 01:59
The South’s economy was driven by cash crops – especially tobacco.
- 02:03
No one in the 18th Century knew the link between smoking and lung cancer, so demand for tobacco [Guy has a chest x-ray it says lung cancer in his chest]
- 02:08
was high…
- 02:09
…which made Southerners happier than pigs in a blanket.
- 02:12
Warm climates and rich soil made the crop super easy to grow. [Picture of old crop field]
- 02:15
But these enormous plantations required lots of work to keep the cash flowing in... [Guy dreaming of farming work]
- 02:19
…Which is why Southerners turned to slavery.
- 02:22
…which makes us sadder than pigs without blankets. [The blanket is taken away from the pigs]
- 02:25
So, no matter your religion, lifestyle, or job preference, the colonies had something
- 02:28
for everyone.
- 02:29
And you know what they say…"What happens in the colonies stays in the colonies…"
- 02:33
…No?
- 02:34
That's Vegas? [Lit up Vegas sign]
- 02:35
Shoot…we'll get it right one of these times…
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