Contents
About the author
Edward A. St. Germain created AmericanRevolution.org in 1996. He was an avid historian with a keen interest in the Revolutionary War and American culture and society in the 18th century. On this website, he created and collated a huge collection of articles, images, and other media pertaining to the American Revolution. Edward was also a Vietnam veteran, and his investigative skills led to a career as a private detective in later life.
Contents
During the 18th century, the New England colonial economies of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire relied heavily on the timber and fishing industries, with support from other areas such as shipbuilding.
Fishing
Due to its position on the coast, and the number of port cities in the colonies, fishing was a vital industry in New England in the 1700s.
Key fish exports included cod, mackerel, and herring, with salted and dried fish exported to Europe and the Caribbean.
Whaling was also common at the time. Whales would be caught in the Atlantic Ocean, as far away as Greenland or Brazil, and harvested for their blubber, which would be heated and used to make products such as soap and industrial lubricants.
Timber
New England’s forests were one of its greatest economic resources in the 18th century, especially in Maine (then part of Massachusetts) and New Hampshire.
These regions had vast areas of high-quality timber forests, particularly white pine, which was used for ship masts. This wood was also used to make barrels, and a significant amount was sent to England under the Crown’s supervision for use on Royal Navy ships.
Shipbuilding
Thanks to its numerous ports, abundant forests, and significant local expertise, New England was the Thirteen Colonies’ shipbuilding hub, especially in port towns like Boston, Salem, Newburyport, and Portsmouth.
During the 18th century, the colonies produced a significant number of ships, including many used by the British Navy, as well as merchant vessels.
Agriculture
The soil in New England was rocky and not particularly fertile, making large-scale farming difficult. As a result, subsistence farming was common, with individual farmers growing what they could on a small scale, including corn, beans, and squash, mostly for their own consumption.
Also, many parts of New England practiced a strict form of Christianity known as Puritanism, especially in Massachusetts Bay Colony settlements such as Salem.
The Puritans were often more opposed to slavery compared to the general population, which was also partly why large-scale plantations driven by slave labor did not become common in New England, unlike in other colonies like South Carolina.
However, the slave trade was a small but significant part of the New England economy in the 18th century, especially indirectly. For example, New England shipbuilders would make vessels that were used to trade slaves between Africa and the Caribbean.
Trading partners
Many of the New England colonies were settled by Protestant groups, fleeing religious persecution in England, such as the Puritans.
As a result, these colonies tended to be more economically and culturally distant from England compared to the rest of the Thirteen Colonies. While trade with England was common, especially in relation to shipbuilding, New England also began trading more heavily with the West Indies as the 18th century progressed.
The colonies would import sugar and molasses from the Caribbean, and use it to make rum, which would then be exported back to the West Indies. Trade was also common in other exotic goods such as spices and fruits, fish, and lumber.
