Massachusetts Bay Colony Economy

Massachusetts Bay Government officials focused on things such as fishing and whaling near the coast, as a form of economic stimulus. The fisherman used the whale blubber to create oil for heating purposes. Officials also focused on the building ships, as well as exporting items such as rum, timber, furs, and livestock. Those people inland used farming to grow crops such as corn, pumpkin, rye, squash, and beans, as a way of producing income and influencing the economy The society of the Massachusetts Bay Colony was dependent upon on survival of the people. Having land and being able to farm, was the key to the survival of the colony, allowing expansion of the colony. This required marriage, but not necessarily in the traditional sense. Children …show more content…
They would trade things such as fish and timber for any items that they could not grow or produced on the plantations. These were items such as leather, sewing supplies, and farming tools. Crops that were grown in the area were things like tobacco, which became much sought after, thus allowing high prices and items being exchanged to be plentiful. When the slave trade came about it became a source of cheap labor, saving money. Together, Tobacco, combined with the Slave Trade, gave Virginia a very strong economy. The structure of the Virginia colony was based on the old ways of England combined with the ever-changing colonies. The heads of the colony determined that there is a was a specific order to the society that must be followed. At the top of the were those with large amounts of land and the wealthy. Next were considered middle class, those who crafted things like blacksmiths and printing. Farmers who use only their families would be the next on the list. Lastly, were African American, starting with those who were free, land owning to those who worked the fields.
Law mandated that they had to worship in the …show more content…
They focused on agriculture and exporting tobacco, rice, indigo, cotton, corn, vegetables, grain, fruit, and livestock. Some of the plantations were massive and consisted of the main house, slave quarters, a dairy, blacksmith’s shop, laundry, smokehouse, and barns. The plantations being self-sufficient allowed for money to be brought into the economy and very little spent externally. Carolina was divided into two parts, eventually becoming modern-day North and South Carolina. The two parts were named the Low and Up-Country. The low was in the coastal area and had many large plantations. The Up-Country owned fewer slaves than their neighbors, yet both Carolinas combine had more slaves than all the colonies. The Up-Country families lived in log cabins, wore clothes of buckskin, and hunted and farmed for food. They would have large celebrations which included shooting contests, and dancing to fiddle music. The structure of the Virginia colony was a combination of the old England and the new ways of the colony. The heads of the colony determined there was a specific order to the society, much like that the Virginian Colony did. North Carolina was governed as a Royal Colony, by the British monarchs. They controlled any land which had not been purchased, which allowed them to divide it for different purposes. The monarchy appointed governors and councilmen to run the government, which in turn elected their own