Economics (ppt)

Colonial Choices

• The behavior and choices of people in colonial times were affected by price incentives, too!
• What would make them the most money?
• That extra money was an incentive for colonists to grow, make, or build more!

Specialization in the New England Colonial Region

• People in New England specialized in:
• fishing
• lumber
• shipbuilding
• New England had harbors that made it a shipping trade center.

Specialization in the Mid-Atlantic Colonial Region

• The Mid-Atlantic colonies had rich farmland.
• Farmers produced large harvests of:
• wheat
• rye
• corn
• They also raised livestock.
• They worked with iron (blacksmith)

Specialization in the Southern Colonial Region

• Agriculture was king in the South.
• There were small farms and big plantations.
• It was profitable to grow:
• tobacco
• indigo
• rice
• cotton
• Slave labor was used to plant and harvest crops.

Productivity during the late 18th and early 19th centuries

• Technology Rocks!
• Talented Americans developed new inventions that changed our lives!
• There were many technological advancements!
• A few important examples include:

Spinning machines & Sewing machines

• Spinning machines made cloth very quickly.
• Sewing machines could make clothes quickly.

Cotton Gin

• Eli Whitney’s cotton gin was a simple machine that separated seeds from the cotton fibers.
• It increased the production of cotton tremendously.
• Cotton became the most important crop in the South.
• More slaves were needed to work in the cotton fields.

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Telegraph

• Samuel Morse’s telegraph was the first method of long-distance communication.
• Americans and businesses could finally communicate over long distances!