American Colonial History, 1607-1775
Colonial Farm Kitchen. Notice clock in the corner. SUMMARY OF AMERICAN COLONIAL HISTORY ECONOMY Although predominantly agricultural, America prospered as a British colony because: § America was an important part of the British trading system, as regulated by the Navigation Acts. Based on Atlantic trade, this was a dynamic and growing international trade zone. o The richest Americans in 1775 were the rice planters of South Carolina and the tobacco growers of Virginia and Maryland. Both groups had a monopoly in the English markets. § Tobacco growers imported large numbers of slaves in the 1700s because of a lack of indentured servants from Europe. o New England provided ships, shipping services, and related merchant services to the English system. New England ships handled most of the trade with the West Indies. o In the Middle Atlantic colonies, farm surpluses entered ...