Mapping the Colonies

Notice where Great Britain is located on this map. Why do you think original British colonists settled and established colonies along the East Coast of the United States?

Why do you think they didn’t originally settle on the west coast of the United States (near the Pacific Ocean)?

According to this image, which ocean were the colonies closest to?

Why might access to this ocean be important to the economy and longevity of the colonies?

According to this image, how many different geographical regions or groups were the colonies divided into?

What was the name of each region?

Which geographic region seems to have the most land? Which region has the least amount of land?

How might this have impacted what kinds of settlements formed where? For example, which colonial region do you think would have more cities, which would have more rural areas? Why?)

According to this map, which two groups of people were settled on lands to the WEST of the thirteen British colonies?

What geographical feature do you think the black textured lines on this map represents?

How might this geographical feature impacted where the British colonists established settlements?

What geographical feature do you think the black textured lines on this map represents?

How might this geographical feature impacted where the British colonists established settlements?

Based on the information in the chart which colony do you think found it easier to establish farmlands, South Carolina or Massachusetts? Why?

What is one geographical feature all three colonial regions have in common? Why do you think this geographic feature was important to British colonists?

Prompt

Imagine you are dropped into an unknown land with no GPS, no Google Maps, and no phone. You only have a hand-drawn map someone gave you.

What details would you need on that map to survive and build a settlement?

What things would you want the mapmaker to leave out (if anything)?

Write down 3 things you’d put on your survival map.

Analysis: What symbols do you notice on your map? What do you think these symbols represent?

Contextualizing: Why do you think the geographical features that are represented were included by the map maker (hint: think about WHEN the map was made and for whom / audience)?