1650-1750 Natural Resources

The geography, population, and natural resources had a strong impact on the development of the colonies in the new world between 1650-1750. Geographical resources such as the amount of farmland, rivers, and forests, natural resources such as fur, lumber, and waterways, as well as the religion and ethnicities that varied throughout New England, the Middle colonies, and the Southern colonies resulted in differences between how each region developed.

New England had many rivers and harbors, but it was rocky any had poor farmland. Due to the rivers, its resources included fish and waterways. Lumber was also abundant, as well as furs, seeing as the settlers were able to participate in Canadian fur trade. The New England population started with 102 puritans on Plymouth Rock, which then turned into 42 after the first winter. The second group of settlers was the puritans who founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony. There were 1000 of them. Other types of
The broad acred farms explain why tobacco and rice was the main base of the southern economy. Tobacco farms dominated Virginia’s economy while rice farms dominated the economy of the Carolinas. Both crops demanded slave labor, which led to a more diverse population. By 1700 blacks were 14% of Virginia’s population. Also, the population included Catholics with Maryland being founded by Roman Catholics seeking a haven from persecution. It also relied heavily on Tobacco for its wealth, but used white indentured servants instead of black slaves. This gave way to the struggling middle class in the south. In the Carolina’s, rice farms were the main source of money. These rice farms required black slaves that were used to working in that kind of environment. Georgia was founded to be a buffer state to protect the Carolinas from the Spanish in Florida and the French in Louisiana. All of these colonies, due to the broad acreage, became plantation