Objectives
Recognize that proximity to water influenced the development of cities.
Label the New England and Middle Atlantic colonies on a map.
Materials
Classroom-size U. S. map
1 per student
Colonies map (attached)
Procedure
Ask the students to recall that the first settlers traveled on ships
to reach the New World and formed colonies along the east coast of what
is now the United States. Remind the students that the Atlantic coast also
had many bays which made it easy for ships to come close to shore. Ask:
What is the definition of a bay? (An inlet of the ocean partly surrounded
by land.)
Review with the students that two important bays to the colonists were
the Chesapeake Bay and the Massachusetts Bay. Have two students locate
the bays on the classroom U. S. map. Point out the way the land partly
surrounds the water to form the bay.
Remind the students that colonial towns were built close to the water
because access to a port was very important. Ask: Why were ports important
to the development of a colonial town? (Major towns and cities had to have
access to ships bringing people and goods to and from Europe.)
Give a map of the New England and Middle Atlantic Colonies to each
student. Ask students to name all the colonial cities located on the Atlantic
Ocean or a bay (Boston, MA; Plymouth, MA; Baltimore, MD; Williamsburg,
VA; Jamestown, VA). Write the name of the city and the colony on the board
as students name them. Remind the students that these cities were important
in the development of trade because of their closeness to the ocean.
Direct the students' attention to the fact that although Philadelphia
isn't located directly on the ocean or a bay, it is located on a river.
Explain that rivers were also important waterways because boats could navigate
up and down rivers to get to inland towns and cities.
Tell the students that in Pennsylvania, the city of Philadelphia, was
built on the Delaware River. Direct the students' attention to the classroom
U. S. map. Point out that Philadelphia had access to the Atlantic Ocean
by way of the Delaware River. Ask: Remembering that other colonial towns
were built around a seaport, why would access to a waterway be important
to the city of Philadelphia? (made travel easier, trade)
Tell the students that William Penn traveled up the Delaware River
and decided to build Pennsylvania's capital, Philadelphia, on the river.
Explain that since Pennsylvania is centrally located, the colonists who
lived in Philadelphia were able to more easily trade with colonies both
in the North and the South, as well as foreign countries since the Delaware
River opened out into the Atlantic Ocean. Remind the students that in addition
to being a center for trade, Philadelphia also played an important role
in the development of the government of the United States.
Direct the students' attention back to their individual maps. Tell
the students that they will notice that the names of the major cities are
marked, but there is something else missing. Ask: What is missing on the
maps? (the names of the colonies) Tell the students that they are to label
each of the colonies in the New England and Middle Atlantic regions by
writing its name on the lines shown. Remind the students that the cities
shown should help them with some of the colonies and they may look at the
list below the map to help with the spelling of the names of the colonies.