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Along the coastal lowlands, plantations that grew cash crops such as tobacco, rice, and indigo were important. Further inland the economy was based on small-scale subsistence farming, hunting, and trading.

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The Economy of the New England Colonies 1

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The Economy of the New England Colonies 1

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The New England colonies developed an economy based on shipbuilding, fishing, and lumbering. By the late 1600's New England merchants were an integral part of the Atlantic Triangular Trade.

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The Economy of the New England Colonies 2

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The Economy of the New England Colonies 2

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The New England climate was harsh and the soil was rocky. These conditions ruled out the opportunity for commercial farming, but small-scale subsistence farming was common.

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In 1636, Roger Williams purchased land from a group of Native Americans and founded Providence, Rhode Island. Staying true to his beliefs, Rhode Island had complete separation of the Church and State.

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James Oglethorpe won a charter for the colony of Georgia in 1732. He opposed the English practice of imprisoning debtors and hoped that they could be given a fresh start in the New World. Georgia would also serve as a buffer to the Spanish colonies in the south.

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The earliest charter written for Carolina was in 1629, but it became invalid. A new charter was issued in 1663 to a group of eight English noblemen. The colony split in two in 1712 becoming North and South Carolina.

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The Middle Colonies did not have the large plantations of the South, but the land was fertile. Land was also easier to obtain and small-scale farmers fed the colonies with their corn and wheat.

Shipbuilding and trading were also vital to the economy.

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This colony was created because King Charles II owed a debt to the Penn family. To repay the debt, the king granted land to William Penn and named it Pennsylvania, which means "Penn's Woods." Penn made the colony a haven for Quakers.

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In 1606, King James I of England granted a charter to a joint-stock company known as the Virginia Company of London. This company would organize and fund an expedition to establish a colony in North America. The first settlement was Jamestown.

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New Jersey was first settled by Dutch and Swedish people. Power of New Jersey changed hands several times in its early years. it ended up splitting into East and West Jersey. But in 1702 the colony was reunited again as the royal colony of New Jersey.

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Settlement in New Hampshire began in the 1620's. For many years the area was officially part of Massachusetts. New Hampshire was a key source for timber.

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Like the other Middle Colonies, Delaware also has roots laid down by Swedish and Dutch settlers. After the English took the Dutch holdings, Delaware was governed by Pennsylvania until 1776.

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In 1632 land for a new colony was granted to Cecilius Calvert.The colonists settled near waterways and grew tobacco for sale in Europe.

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In 1639, the citizens of Connecticut adopted a constitution. The constitution called for a bicameral legislature and an elected governor.

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Jamestown actually was the first successful English settlement in North America, but an earlier attempt had been made and failed.

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In 1624, Dutch India Company established the colony of New Netherlands by the Atlantic coast. It prospered and grew to include all of New York City and parts of Long Island and some more.