Specific examples of economic activities in each colonial region

📚 Quick Study Guide

• 🌍 New England Colonies: Primarily focused on shipbuilding 🚢, fishing 🎣, and trade 💰 due to rocky soil unsuitable for large-scale agriculture. They developed a strong merchant class.
• 🌾 Middle Colonies: Known as the "breadbasket" 🍞, these colonies (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware) thrived on wheat, rye, and barley production. Also involved in trade and some manufacturing.
• 🚬 Southern Colonies: Heavily reliant on plantation agriculture 🪴, especially tobacco, rice, and indigo. This system depended on enslaved labor. Key crops were grown for export to Europe.
• 🌲 Triangular Trade: A complex trade network 🔄 involving the exchange of goods between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Raw materials from the colonies went to Europe, manufactured goods to Africa, and enslaved Africans to the Americas.
• 📜 Mercantilism: The economic theory 🏛️ driving colonial policy, which aimed to benefit the mother country (England) by controlling colonial trade and resources.

Practice Quiz

1. Which economic activity was MOST prominent in the New England Colonies?
   1. Agriculture
   2. Shipbuilding
   3. Tobacco farming
   4. Mining
2. The Middle Colonies were often referred to as the "breadbasket" because of their production of:
   1. Cotton
   2. Wheat
   3. Indigo
   4. Rice
3. What was the primary agricultural product of the Southern Colonies?
   1. Corn
   2. Tobacco
   3. Wheat
   4. Potatoes
4. What was the main purpose of the Triangular Trade?
   1. To promote peace between Europe, Africa, and the Americas
   2. To exchange luxury goods between the continents
   3. To facilitate the exchange of raw materials, manufactured goods, and enslaved people
   4. To spread religious beliefs
5. Which economic theory dictated that colonies should benefit the mother country?
   1. Capitalism
   2. Socialism
   3. Mercantilism
   4. Communism
6. Which of the following was NOT a major economic activity in the Southern Colonies?
   1. Tobacco farming
   2. Rice cultivation
   3. Indigo production
   4. Shipbuilding
7. What resource was crucial for shipbuilding in the New England colonies?
   1. Gold
   2. Timber
   3. Cotton
   4. Iron ore