Middle Colonies Essay Example

Middle Colonies Essay The North American Colonies are split up into three sub colonies; the sub colonies are the New England Colony, the Middle Colony, and the Southern Colony. The New England Colony consists of Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The Middle Colony consists of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey. The Southern Colony consists of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The economies that developed in these three areas are very different. The New England Colony economy was based on shipbuilding, fishing, lumbering, and small-scale subsistence farming. The Middle Colony developed an economy based on shipbuilding, small-scale farming, trading, and eventually, manufacturing. The Southern Colony was almost entirely based on agriculture. The Middle Colony was the most productive in their economic role in the thirteen colonies because of the amount of work produced, the type of work that was done, and the money generated. The Middle Colony was most productive because they had the best climate for the different types of economic activities. The New England Colony developed an economy based on shipbuilding, fishing, lumbering, and small-scale subsistence farming. The natural resources of the New England Colony include trees, whales, fish, and furs. Fish and other seafood are exported to Spain, Portugal, and the West Indies through the Columbian Exchange to make large profits. The seafood includes clams, lobsters, oysters, fish, and whales. Whaling also makes a big profit because so many parts of the whale are used. The long cold winters and poor soil made farming difficult. The good amounts of timber encouraged their own ship building and trading. Harbors caused sea trade to increase and become a great source of wealth. The alarming development and aggressiveness of great capitalists and corporations, unless checked, will inevitably lead to the pauperization and hopeless degradation of the toiling masses. It is imperative, if we desire to enjoy the full blessings of life, that a check be placed upon unjust accumulation, and the power for evil of aggregated wealth. † The Middle Colony was the most productive out of all three of them. The Middle Colony developed economies based on shipbuilding, small-scale farming, trading, and eventually, manufacturing. We will write a custom essay sample on Middle Colonies specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Middle Colonies specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Middle Colonies specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The tolerance of religion resulted in the Middle Colony’s success as the commercial center of the North American Colony. The Middle Colony was also known as the bread basket of the thirteen colonies because of their large grain export. Factories in Maryland produced iron and factories in Pennsylvania produced paper and textiles. Trade with England was plentiful in these colonies as well. Manufacturing in the Middle Colony included iron ore products like tools, kettles, nails and plows and huge blocks of iron to export to Britain. Also manufacturing was a very big industry; they made-clocks, watches’, guns, locks, cloth, and hats. Trade in the Middle Colony included exported agricultural products and natural resources, imported European manufactured goods, but never they developed triangular trade routes. The Southern Colony is the least productive of them all because they do not do the work themselves. Virginia and the other Southern Colony developed economies in the eastern coastal lowlands based on large plantations that grow â€Å"cash crops† such as tobacco, rice, and indigo for export to Europe through the Atlantic slave trade. It ought readily to be conceded that the cultivation of the earth–as the primary and most certain source of national supply–as the immediate and chief source of subsistence to man– as the principal source of those materials which constitute the nutriment of other kinds of labor–as including a state most favorable to the freedom and indepen dence of the human mind–one, perhaps, most conducive to the multiplication of the human species–has intrinsically a strong claim to pre-eminence over every other kind of industry. The main feature of the South was the plantation, a large plot of land that contained a great amount of acres of farmland and buildings in which the people lived on, who owned the land and the people who worked the land. Over time the south developed the idea of slavery and it became a key part of the southern economy. During the 17th and 18th centuries many Negro slaves from Africa were brought to the South to work on the plantations. The slaves had no rights of their own. Some Southern Colonies passed laws saying that the Africans could be bought and sold as slaves. The economy grew increasingly dependent on slavery and revolved around the southern society. The economic and social classes became more separated. In addition, the climates of these three areas played a major factor in the economy of these colonies. The climate of the New England Colony was colder than the other two set of Colonies because it is the farthest north. The geography of the New England Colony consists of many hills and rocky soil, and allowed for several growing seasons and supported cash crops. The partly unglaciated Middle Colonies enjoyed fertile soil vastly different from the nearby New England Colonies, which contained more rocky soil. Broad navigable rivers of relaxed current like the Susquehanna River, the Delaware River, and the Hudson River attracted diverse business. The climate in the Middle Colony was relatively warmer than the New England Colony, allowing for a longer growing season. The geography of the Southern Colony is rich soil. The growing season lasted for seven or eight months. The many waterways along the southern coast formed the tidewater region. The geography allowed the plantation owners to produce large amounts of crops, which allowed the owners to expand their plantations, buy more slaves, and further increase their wealth. My conclusion is that the Middle Colony was the most productive of the Colony. The Middle Colony was the most productive in their economic role in the thirteen colonies because of the amount of work produced the work that was done and the money that came in. The Middle Colony was most productive because the main feature was the industries, in which everyone had a job and worked for mass production. The Middle Colony depended on the people and not there slaves to cultivate the land for them. The people in the Middle Colony did all the work themselves, and due to the location had many advantages over the New England Colony and the Southern Colony. Works Cited The 13 American Colonies Part 2: Characteristics of the Colonies. Social Studies for Kids. Web. 17 Mar. 2010. . The 13 American Colonies Part 2: Characteristics of the Colonies. Social Studies for Kids. Web. 6 Mar. 2010. . Alexander Hamilton, Report on Manufactures. History Web Pages. Web. 6 Mar. 2010. . HADC Preamble and Declaration of Principles of the Knights of Labor of America. Chicago History Museum |. Web. 6 Mar. 2010. . Life in Middle Colonies. East Buchanan Community Schools. Web. 6 Mar. 2010. . Middle and Southern Colonies, Slavery in the Southern Colonies, Map of the Southern Colonies, New England Middle and Southern Colonies, Maps of the Southern Colonies, Geography of the Southern Colonies, Southern Colonie s Climate, Southern Colonies Economy, American Southern Colonies,