What Role Did Geography Play In The Economy Of The Colonies

The economy of the two regions also greatly differed because of the terrain that they landed on. Because the land in the south was much more fertile than in the north, the southern colonies thrived in rice and tobacco, profiting greatly. In New England the settlers could not grow anything in the rocky terrain and were forced into fishing, building, and farming. However, not much farming went on because of the infertile soil. In the Chesapeake slaves were also a main part of their economy. The slave trade made them very wealthy because of their closeness to the West Indies. They would be shipped many slaves and then use them to harvest their crops and plant their land. Soon, the slaves outnumbered white settlers by about four to one.

Although mid-Atlantic colonies did not develop a planation economy, there were still slaves working in the farmlands. Slaves were employed to work alongside tenant farmers to do manual labor and grow grains. People in New England and the middle colonies were town-living with domestic servants. These servants spent their time in the house cooking and cleaning, or running errands. There was no need for as many slaves as there were in the

Shipbuilding was a fast growing industry created a boom for New England economy. They also gain profit out of transporting trading goods back and forth from and to England, and also for transporting slaves out of Africa and into North America. The New England settlers were so success at their shipbuilding business that actually

The “Triangular Trade” was the trade between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. They traded crops, goods, and slaves. The transportation of slaves from Africa to the New World is what has been labeled as the “Middle Passage.” Many accounts have been documented about this transportation, in the eyes of historians, crew members of the actual ships, and even slaves who went through this voyage themselves. All of them have a different way of describing how the Middle Passage was truly experienced. However, when looking at them in a general sense, a very clear conclusion can be made: slaves were kept in a horrific environment, which often affected the crew on board, but the only reason the slaves were kept alive was because the white crews saw them as monetary beings rather than human beings.

There was very little development of the industry as a result of plantation owners putting all of their money into their land and slaves. This resulted in little investment and was therefore the cause for little development. The little bit of industry development that there was resulted in Lumber, fur and Naval store trading. In the Middle Colonies the establishment was also partially economical, with the exception of Pennsylvania. Just as in the South these colonies were established to serve the mother country, however the agriculture was producing different crops, and the industry was producing fur and Naval supplies but not much Lumber. The agricultural aspect of the economy flourished because of the moderate climate which provided for longer growing seasons and also the rich soil found in the area. The main crops were Wheat, Barley, Fruit and livestock was also produced. These colonies were known as "The Bread Basket." Although mainly established for religious reasons the north also contributed to the mercantile system. The climate was cold ad growing seasons were short, the soil was rocky and it was hard to produce crops. However small amounts of Beans, Barley, Oats and corn were produced along with livestock. The main economic advantage in the North was the fact that it was in a good trading location and had good ports. This is why the

The three colonies all wanted to make money but they had to go about it in different ways. This was mainly due to what they had available. The New England Colonies were mainly agricultural farmers. With all the water reservoirs like Cape Cod there were plenty of fish so lots of people became fishermen. There were a lot of lumberjacks to cut down trees and export them to England. The Middle Colonies were extremely different because they set up extensive cosmopolitan cities reminiscent of New York. They had many specialists like doctors, lawyers, accountants, and teachers. They traded a lot with in North America and occasionally overseas. The Southern Colonies primarily depended on cotton and tobacco plantations. As the plantations grew they had to employ black slaves. The plantations were fully self contained with their own blacksmith, teachers and professionals. So there were no big cities or towns. The main plantations traded directly with Europe via the Mississippi. The three colonies all made money differently with their diverse professions and traders.

Even with their differences all three colonies varied in economical activity. The New England colonies used the forests and trees around them to their advantage for transportation and began building ships. They also worked as fisherman even due to the freezing temperatures such as in Massachusetts. They also hunted for whales to produce ivory and oil for lamps. The economy in the Mid-Atlantic colonies was based largely on agriculture and farming. The land in Pennsylvania was less rocky and smoother as oppose to the New England colonies. Another factor was that the climate and weather was much more calm then the other colonies, which resulted in a longer growing season. Their chief export was grain grown by farmers as well as cash crops, corn, various fruits and vegetables, and livestock. The Southern colonies were further down south towards the equator, which made fishing a good source of making money. Farmlands in the south such as in Virginia were excellent and had rich soil and the climate was better for farming crops. Rice, cotton, and indigo were huge crops, however tobacco was the most important and widely used cash

The Middle colonies play a crucial part in the outbreaking conflicts with France. The middle colonies consist of 4 colonies, New york, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and lastly Delaware. The colonies display there own twist on social Life, politics, economics, motivation, and geography. The Middle Colonies geography is very similar to the the other two regions.

Finally, the geography of the middle colonies, such as New York, New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania played a big role on the development and population of this area. In the sixteen and seventeen hundreds, the above colonies were the most populated of the thirteen establishments. There was plentiful and fertile soil, in which tobacco was heavily grown. The Susquehanna River also flowed through this region, opening the possibility of fur trade. Other minor rivers that were found in the middle colonies were gentle, which provided for easy transportation and fishing. The land in the middle colonies was broad and expansive, making it easy for even the middle class residents to create an enjoyable and profitable lifestyle.

Eventually, the white settlers began growing rice because it was an “easier” crop to grow and would produce large profits. Rice was not found in America, but it was brought over by a slave from Africa. Due to shortages of food African slaves would grow rice to feed themselves. The white settlers saw how easily the African slaves grew the rice and decided that was going to be their cash crop. The rice industry started to thrive, but white planters wanted more. As the rice industry grew, it led to the buying and trading of slaves through the Atlantic Slave Trade. “South Carolina’s especially heavy commitment to the use of Negro labor coincided closely with the development of rice as a new and profitable staple.” They needed more slaves so they could grow large amounts of rice. Later in the colonial era, slave owners were in search of slaves with specialized trades. These slaves brought in more money for the slave owners and was a greater investment. The African slave’s effect on the economy was tremendous due to their knowledge of cattle, rice, and specialized trades.

They also fished as their source of food. They hadas human resources skilled craftsmen, shopkeepers, and shipbuilders. These people of the New England colony specialized in whaling, fishing, shipbuilding, industry, and naval supplies. WE traded with the southern colony for cotton, and other materials in order to manufacture our goods. They also depended on the Mid Atlantic colonies for their livestock and grain.They trade to the Mid Atlantic colonies the goods they don't produce themselves. The Boston harbor became a great big center of commerce.

Seventy-five percent of all slaves were field workers. Their primary duties were to plant, cultivate and pick various types of crops. Most slaves would have been involved in large cash crops such as tobacco and indigo in pre-revolutionary times and cotton in post-revolutionary times. Both crops were similar in that they required hard year-round labor to cultivate and prepare crops for market. Field workers could expect to rise before sun-up and head to the fields at first light. Slaves would have worked until just before dark breaking somewhere during the day for rest and lunch. Work was hard

Their main export was bread and livestock. Unlike the Southern Colonies and their massive farms, the Middle Colonies had a much smaller scale for land. Most farms were 50 to 150 acres and this included everything on that land, not just the main farm building. As I stated before, the Middle Colonies was called the “Bread Basket” and this is thanks to our lovely friends: the Quakers. There’s a reason why the Quakers have an oatmeal company named after them. If they weren’t singing or praying they were harvesting oats and baking bread, which resulted in making the Middle Colonies a gigantic and fun bakery. Our final cluster in our journey of the colonies is: New England!

The article, “Economy in Colonial New England” talks about the economy in the New England colony, it says “In contrast to the southern colonies, which could produce tobacco, rice, and indigo in exchange for imports, New England's colonies couldn't offer much to England beyond fish, furs, and naval stores.” The New England colonies used the fishing and the construction of boats to maintain economically. They made soap, clothing and candles. Its exports fish, whale products, boats, wood products, furs, maple syrup, copper, horses, beer and whiskey. They had problems with agriculture, it was difficult to plant wheat because the quality of nutrients on the land was poor, but corn, pumpkins, rye and beans had better

Some slaves in typical plantations would be responsible for domestic chores. The situation assured them of better quarters and superior treatment. At the same time, the conditioned exposed them abuse and close supervision. Women mostly worked as nannies, maids and cooks doing laundry work and sewing. The field workers often worked under close supervision, mostly by the whites. Around 75 percent of slaves who worked as field workers spend a lot of hours in the plantations (Townsend 1860). They performed difficult field labor, driven by the masters' threat and lashes. The situation led to the slaves suffering from poor health. Plantation slaves found in the South were commonly agricultural workers as few owners owned more than almost a dozen of slaves. The slave owners'