What you'll learn
Period 2 (1607–1754) — the development of distinct British colonies (~6–8% of the exam).
Colonial regions
- Chesapeake/Southern: tobacco/cash crops, plantations, indentured servants then enslaved Africans.
- New England: Puritan, town-centered, mixed economy, family farms.
- Middle colonies: diverse, tolerant, grain ('breadbasket').
Labor & slavery
Indentured servitude declined (after Bacon's Rebellion, 1676) as racialized chattel slavery expanded. Slave codes hardened.
Economy & empire
Mercantilism + the Navigation Acts tied colonial trade to Britain; 'salutary neglect' allowed self-governing assemblies to develop in practice.
Society & ideas
The Great Awakening (religious revival) and Enlightenment ideas spread; growing colonial identity alongside loyalty to Britain.
Key themes
- Regional diversity from geography and settlement goals.
- Roots of representative government and the entrenchment of slavery.
Exam tips
- Compare/contrast the colonial regions (a classic prompt).
Common mistakes
- Treating the colonies as uniform.
- Missing how Bacon's Rebellion pushed the shift to slavery.