Top Ten Ways to Make Money in Colonial America

SOURCE: landofthebrave.info

U.S. History, a website created by the Independence Hall Association gave information about the growth of the Tobacco Trade, the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies.  The National Park Service described the Maritime History of Massachusetts. The University of Groningen described the Colonial Economy as a whole. 

1. Tobacco: Grown in the Chesapeake Bay region, many colonial people believed that tobacco was a smoking aid to “keep in good health.” Tobacco was the first crop that necessitated slaves and was one of the main reasons for bringing them over to America.
2. Ship Building: 5-20% of non-agriculture workers mostly in New England produced the most of the ships for the thirteen colonies. Because of New England’s long coastline and large forests, this region was ideal for building boats and ships. About 45% of America’s ships were sold to foreigners as well, bringing in more money.
3. Indigo: This crop was vitally important to those living in Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas. This plant, which was used as dye for clothing and other objects, at one point was more profitable than cotton.
4. Exporting Agricultural Products: Running a gristmill or a sawmill was a pertinent business. Everybody in all the 13 Colonies needed grains because it has so many uses, and is an inexpensive product.
5. Mining Iron Ore: Although it is not heard of as a major early American export, before the American Revolution, the colonies made up about 15% of the world’s exported iron. Iron Ore helped with the production of charcoal which became incredibly important in the colonial peoples’ lives, and with this, fires and food were able to be made much quicker.
6. Blacksmith: Being a blacksmith was an intelligent career path in the colonial era because they make many necessities. Silverware, locks, and anything made out of metal or ore was created by the blacksmith and contributed a lot for the building of houses and improving home life.
7. Fishing: Catching fish in New England was a popular job because of the huge amount of coastline that the region has. New England had a major shortage on farmland, so many went to catch fish, providing a huge source of food for colonists.
8. Farming: Although very obvious, farming was a huge part of the colonial economy. Food was obviously vital to the success of the colonies and with the large amount of farmland in the thirteen colonies and especially the Middle Colonies, towns and villages were able to flourish and succeed.
9. Brick Making: This source of income is one of the most forgotten jobs in the thirteen colonies, however very important. Without the making of bricks, many building, walls and other structures would not have been able to be made. A lot of the historic buildings that you see today are made of brick and this was a huge part of the economy. 
10. Whaling: This career was a dangerous but profitable way to earn money in the colonial era. Whales helped produce products such as oil for lamps, lubricant for machinery, candle making, and their teeth could be using in place of plastic or glass. Whaling produced items that were vital to the colonists’ survival.

There were many different ways that the colonists could make money because there were so many things to be done. Workers took into account what type of land there was, what resources were available and what was necessary to live to figure out what were the most important careers for each region, such as whaling and shipbuilding in the New England seas, and tobacco growing in the southern heat. I believe that the regional work really brought the country together because not one area had everything it needed, which led to some reliance on others. Reliance is usually considered a negative idea however in this case, it impacted the economy positively, brought people more jobs, and created a more concrete definition about how the colonists were going to succeed. These techniques of making money were their lifeline to independence because the colonists weren't being dependent on Great Britain, they were being dependent on the people in the Thirteen Colonies, thus showing and empowering the colonists that they could succeed without the power of the British.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH:

1. How did the economy change during the American Revolution?
2. What was Great Britain's view on the colonial economy pre-American Revolution?