| Lesson
The 13 English colonies that later became part of the United States
were located along the east coast of North America. These settlements
reached from Maine (originally part of Massachusetts) in the North to
Georgia in the South.
Use the mileage scale on your globe's horizon ring mounting to
measure the distance from the northernmost part of Maine (abbreviated ME
on your globe) at 47N/68W to the southernmost part of Georgia
(abbreviated GA) at 31N/81W. What is this distance? (1.)
_________________ _____________________________ What is the name of the
mountain range that runs through the western portions of most of these
states? (2.) ______________________________________
In this area between Maine and Georgia, look at the land that lies
between the Appalachian Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean. What color is
used to show most of this area? (3.) _________ What does this color tell
you about the land? (4.) ______________________________________
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This elevation region is called the Atlantic Coastal Plain, and it is
the area where most of the early colonists lived. Why do you think the
majority of the people lived in this region? (5.) _________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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The colonies had some difficult starts, but most of them grew quickly
and soon settlers were moving beyond the coastal plain and approaching
the Appalachians. And though new people from Europe and Africa continued
coming into the area, there was still much open land in the colonies.
Your globe can provide you with a good example.
Find and circle the small island of Puerto Rico at 18N/67W. Compare
its size with the size of all the land between Maine and Georgia that
lies east of the Appalachian Mountains. In the mid 1700s, almost a
century and a half after the founding of Jamestown, in all of the
colonies, the entire population of the colonists was less than the
present day population of the tiny island of Puerto Rico. Try to imagine
how the eastern United States might have looked then. Discuss with your
classmates how you would have prepared for a trip through the colonies
in the 1750s. |
