The Economic, Social, and Political Aspects of the Southern Colonies

Crops were important to the southern economy. Because they did so well farming, the southerners did not make many tools or household goods. They grew large crops of tobacco, corn, rice and wheat, which people wanted in England. In the 1600s, tobacco was very important. It was the most valuable export. The tobacco was put in barrels, shipped to England and sold. Most Maryland people grew tobacco on small farms. Sometimes, whole plantations depended on …

…the right to vote on taxes and expenditures, and the right to initiate legislation rather than merely act on proposals of the governor. The legislatures used these rights to check the power of royal governors and to pass other measures to expand their power and influence. In time, the center of colonial administration shifted from London to the provincial capitals. <Tab/><Tab/><Tab/>