Answer:
The Atlantic connected colonial America to the old world.
Without the ocean nearby, colonists would have been cut off from many goods like tea, steel, and manufactured products.
This usually kept early colonists close to the shores of the Atlantic.
How did the Atlantic Ocean affect early colonists?
Here, a warm humid climate allowed for rapid growth of many cash crops including: tobacco, Indigo, cotton, sugar cane and rice. Because of the massive amount of agriculture taking place here, very few cities developed. instead, large plantations took up most of the land. Slave labor was very common in the Southern Colonies. So many slaves were brought from Africa that there were four slaves to every one white man in some places.
In these colonies, disease was everywhere. In Jamestown, the first settlement in the area, eight out of ten colonists were killed by malaria. This quote from 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created shows how devastating this disease was to european colonists "Not less than 150 of the two hundred and fifty newcomers died within months"
The Southern Colonies
How did The Appalachian Mountains affect settlers?
These mountains blocked the English from expanding westward.
It was difficult to cross this mountain range, let alone carry everything required for survival.
In conclusion
Yes. geography affected every aspect of life in the colonies. It decided what job you had, what food you ate, and what clothes you wore. It decided if you would be rich or poor, educated or uneducated, and it decided if you lived in the country or a city. Geography caused some colonies to become centers of trade, and others to output huge amounts of crops.
Geography controlled every detail of the colonies, as well as the rest of the world, and still does to this day.
The Mid-Atlantic colonies used their large rivers, fertile soil and open plains for large scale farming. The crops raised here were oats, wheat, and rye. They also raised livestock.
In The Mid-Atlantic colonies, there were many bays and inlets. This allowed for large cities to develop around ports.
The Mid-Atlantic Colonies
Did Geography Greatly Affect Colonial America?
How did Climate affect the colonies?
New-England Colonies
Moderate summers and long cold winters led to the development of the fishing and fur industry, and this in turn spurred shipbuilding. The increase in shipbuilding gave rise to a large lumber industry in these colonies. While the cold climate made farming difficult, it reduced the death from disease.
Climate varied greatly across the thirteen colonies, and this affected development.
Cold climates used fur hunting, fishing, and forestry to survive. Moderate climates grew food, and some grew tobacco. In marshy areas, malaria killed many people.
Southern Colonies
The warm humid climate in the south allowed Southern colonists to grow sugar cane, rice, tobacco, and indigo as cash crops. They also could farm many foods. Here, almost all of the work was done by african slaves. The first slaves were used because of a labor shortage caused my high mortality. According the the 1623 Records of the Virginia Company " In 3 yeares their dyed about 3000 psons in Virg [were dead before the massacre] for wch mortality noe other cause hath been shewed but the want of houses, pestring of ships, shortness & badness of food . . ."
Mid-Atlantic Colonies
The moderate climates and vast swathes of fertile land allowed these areas to produce corn, wheat and rye. In addition they raised livestock and fished along the coast.
New England Colonies
New England had hilly, rocky, and infertile terrain. "Farming was difficult" (Hart), so people turned to fishing for food. As I said before, the shipbuilding industry was spurred by fishing, and because of the shipbuilding much lumber was needed. With all of the ships, New England soon became a major trade center. Skilled artisans and shopkeepers moved to New England as well.
What impacts did Water
have on Colonial America?
Problems With Expansion.
Almost all of the colonial cities were centered around water, whether it was an ocean, a river, or a lake. Water provided transportation, fishing and irrigation.
The English colonies were boxed in to the east and west by physical features, but the north and south were geographically unobstructed. However, both of these areas were claimed by Spain and France, stunting expansion.
