NEW ENGLAND & THE MIDDLE COLONIES

FARMING

• NE had diverse economy
• Small, subsistence farms
• Farmers used what they grew

Fishing & Whaling

• Fishing a major industry
• Grand Banks- area of Atlantic with abundant fish
• Grand Banks just north of NE

Lumbering & Shipbuilding

• Geographically, NE is good for lumbering
• Mountains are close to coast- means many streams
• Makes sawmills plentiful
• A lumbering industry + good harbors= shipbuilding as a major industry

GOVERNMENT

• Life centered on church (Puritans)
• Good Christians encouraged towns
• Towns very important
• Common people participated in government
• Town ruled via town meeting

GOVERNMENT

• First, everyone comes, then elect officials to represent them

Puritan Society

• Puritan homes located near church (meetinghouse)
• Strict, rigid rules were enforced
• However, Puritans did have fun (bright clothes, played games)

Triangular Trade

• NE produces little goods
• Resident want goods from England
• Leads to merchants
• NE traded fish & lumber with Caribbean planters for sugar
• Either got sugar or bills of exchange

Triangular Trade

• Buy English goods with sugar
• Sell English goods for fish & lumber
• Another Triangular trade:
• NE gives rum to W. Africans for slaves
• Slaves to Caribbean for sugar

New Urban Society

• Increase in trade makes port cities grow
• Upper class of the city are merchant (small portion)-controlled trade
• Middle are artisans (skilled workers) and shopkeepers (50%)
• Next- unskilled labor (dock workers, etc (30%)
• Lowest social class- indentured servants then slaves- about- 10-20%

Growth of the Middle Colonies

• Main crop wheat- sold to Caribbean
• Good, wide, deep rivers made shipping to coast easy
• Shipping made New York & Philadelphia largest cities in English colonies

The Wheat Boom

• Early 1700s- population boom in middle colonies (still had land available)
• Wheat boom + cheap, poor labor force made some wealthy
• New wealth produced new capital to invest in industry
• Very few farmers got rich (mainly due to technology)