i need help with this test question?

Question

Geography was the primary factor in shaping the development of the British colonies in North America." Assess the validity of this statement for the 1600's
i am not asking you to answer it just for some simple help/ pointers i have a big test tomorrow

Answer 1

Think logically and the answers will be easier to remember:
-The Colonies were all huddled on the Atlanitic Ocean pretty much because they needed the access to the sea for trade, fishing, and protection from the native inhabitants.
-The sea provided whaling, fishing, the forests provided lumber to build ships, tar and pitch as water proofers for ships
-the rivers that flowed into the sea provided avenues for inland travel
and led to the development of plantations in the tidewater region
-rivers also acted as boundaries between the colonies, as they considered themselves quite separate from each other (note the Delaware River, Potomic River, Savannah River all divided colonies from eachother)
The Appalachian Mountains acted as a western boundary, separating the colonists from the Native American population occupying the Ohio River Valley,a nd the french who had a systemof forts there
-The four cities (yes, there were only four NYC, Boston, Charleston, and Philadelphis) are all on Rivers and/or on the coast, all four had good ports, especially New York which boosted the best natural harbor in the New World. Since they all had access to the ocean, they were on the trade routes that included Britain, Africa, and the trade isles of the Indies

does this help you? I know it does

Answer 2

If you look at an atlas, you will see that the natural route from England to the New World was to the Atlantic coast around the mouth of the St. Lawrence river and to the south. The site for the colonies was chosen largely because of the harbour. There was no dock for the ships to tie up to -- they had to find an area that was protected from the Atlantic gales, and with sufficient beach for longboats to row goods and people ashore. Another factor was that the area could not be far inland, or up the river St. Lawrence, because they still required access to the 'mother country'.
The colonies could not have been established farther north, as the climate was too severe. And it could not have been established farther inland, as they needed access to the coast. Once the colonies were established, the colonists were able to branch out and establish new settlements, but all had to be within easy reach of the original settlements, as they were a very long way from being independent.

Good luck with the test

Answer 3

Geographer and historian William Cronon has shown that Europeans saw the natural world they encountered int the United States and Canada differently from how natives saw it. The viewed resources as commodities to be accumulated. The British primarily looked to utilize the natural resources.