There are five states that were once considered southern colonies. Those states are Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Virginia was the first to be chartered in 1607, followed by Maryland (1633), North Carolina (1653), South Carolina (1663) and finally Georgia (1732). Maryland, however, shared many Northern characteristics as well because it was a border state.

All of these five colonies shared very similar characteristics. They were chartered, primarily, to serve as a way to escape religious persecution. Religiously, they were nearly all Baptist. This led to a very similar culture, which can be seen in most of the southern states still to this day.

Economically, the five colonies were agrarian. Cotton, tobacco and subsistence farming dominated each colony. Because of this, slavery also became a common staple among them.