Through the careful reading of American Colonies Essay

Through the careful reading of American Colonies, written by Alan Taylor, it is clear that there are vast differences as well as a number of similarities between the European competitors as they began to colonize the Americas but diversity can also be found within the colonies they would create. American Colonies shows a close relationship between climate, the state of the economy, and the development of slavery. The varying climate within the Americas proved to have an enormous impact on the source of revenue a colony would rely on to support its economy and this choice of trade would then quickly affect the need for slaves or lack thereof. It is helpful to have an understanding of the variation of the climate within the colonies since†¦show more content†¦Each colony in the Americas had its fair share of difficulties within their economy. What the colonists chose to rely on as a source of revenue was of utmost importance in creating a stable economy, whether it was the production of sugar, tobacco, cotton, or possibly even the trade of fish or fur. Through the discussion of climate and location, it becomes clear all colonies could not effectively produce or trade the same goods. For instance, the Carolinians were at first dependent upon the trade of deerskins and the use of Indian slaves in their economy. Alan Taylor points out that both deerskins and Indian slaves were â€Å"diminishing commodities† that were beginning to lay a â€Å"flimsy economic foundation for their new colony† (236). The Carolinians, according to Taylor, recognized that they needed to â€Å"develop a valuable agricultural staple for export† in order to create a stable economy (236). They were then able to cultivate and specialize in rice, becoming the â€Å"English Empire’s great rice colony just as the Chesapeake specialized in tobacco and the West Indies in sugar† (237). New England’s economy on the other hand had a prosperous start, â€Å"primarily from the regular infusion of newcomers,† who â€Å"consumed the crops made by the first-comers† (174). However, after the conclusion of the Great Migration in 1640, New England began toShow MoreRelatedKing Leopold s Ghost Response Paper1444 Words   |  6 PagesGhost, Adam Hochschild seeks to revive the fervor and vehemence with which the world remembers this tragedy. Prior to reading this book, my own understanding of the genocide in the Congo was that of just another awful tragedy in the long process of colonial imperialism. 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