Commerce in the Colonies · 2015. 9. 23. · Southern Colonies Southern Colonies Plantations and the growth of slavery • Climate and terrain of the Southern Colonies was ideal for

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Commerce in

the Colonies Geography's impact

on Economics

How does where you live affect your

economic well being?

• If you wanted to be a movie star where

would you live? Why?

• If you wanted to be a crab fisherman,

where would you live? Why?

• Where would you live if you wanted to be

a dairy farmer? Why?

• What economic activities dominate

Houston? Why do you think that is?

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New England Colonies

Geography • Every colony had

access to the coast

• Short growing season

• Harsh winters/cold climate

• Hard/rocky soil

• Large forests

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Middle Colonies

Geography • Every colony had access to

the coast

• Moderate growing season

• Mild winters/warm summers

• Fertile soil good for farming

• Large forests

• Iron ore mined in the mountains

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Southern Colonies

Geography • Long growing season

• Hot climate

• Flat land & good soil

• Many rivers to transport crops

• Every colony on the coast

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Making Predictions

• With your group . . .

• On a sheet of notebook

paper make predictions

about the economic

activities that develop

each of the colonial

regions based on the

description of that

region’s geography.

New England Colonies

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New England Colonies Merchant economy and Religion

• Economy based on fishing,

shipbuilding, selling timber,

and trade, whaling, fur trade

– Coastal towns like Boston,

New Haven and Newport

developed

• Large Scale Farming was

difficult because of terrain

and climate

• Subsistence Farming was

sustainable

– small farms that grew enough

food to eat, but not to sell for a

large profit.

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Middle Colonies

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Middle Colonies Growth of farms and cities in a climate of tolerance

• Known as “breadbasket

colonies” because their

climate and terrain was

ideal for farming grain

• Mills to process grain

grew up along the

region’s many rivers;

some mining

• Natural Harbors at the

mouths of rivers lead to

growth of port cities that

prospered through trade

– New York City and

Philadelphia

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• Small scale

manufacturing

Candle-making

Textiles

Woodworking/sawyer

Blacksmith

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Southern Colonies

Southern Colonies Plantations and the growth of slavery

• Climate and terrain of

the Southern Colonies

was ideal for growing

cash crops

• Plentiful rivers provided

easy transport of cash

crops for trade

• Plantation crops were

labor intensive

• Tobacco, rice, cotton,

indigo

• Lead to the slave trade

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