Southern Colonies Economy Essay

564 Words2 Pages

Economy New England differentiated from the Southern Colonies in many different ways. Economically, New England based their wealth on fishing, ship building and mainly trade. Unlike the other Southern Colonies, farmland was very poor due to the rocky soil that was unsuitable for crops. The Southern Colonies grew crops such as rice, tobacco, and cotton to make money. New England Colonists imported agricultural products while the Southern colonists exported agricultural products. Winters in the Southern Colonies were cold and rainy while the summers were hot and humid while New England had a cooler summer climate and longer colder winters. People from New England tended to live longer because there were fewer diseases than in the Southern …show more content…

Many people with families usually moved to this area. Property and riches was usually inherited from generation to generation. For the people of the Southern Colonies, life emerged as rugged and rural. Many people moved to the south for more economic opportunity because the south had such big cash crops. Also, colonies in the south owned slaves and indentured servants. Farmers needed help caring for the crops.
Political
The New England Colonies were self governed. The government was highly influenced by religion Politics whereas in the Southern Colonies government was as varied as their religious preferences. New England was governed by Puritans. They began to build a democratic system where majority rules and only members of the church could decide on government issues. The General Court made laws and governed the company. The government was supported by taxes.
The southern colonies were also self governed. Virginia had an elected assembly called the House of Burgess. The king of England appointed a royal governor, who in turn selected his council. This body was the upper house. These men were responsible for judicial and administrative matters in their area. Virginia House of Burgesses was a legislature picked by the people. The Pilgrims had said that they would follow the laws they made in the Mayflower Compact. Both of these are early examples of

Open Document