Final answer:
The economic differences between the Southern and New England colonies are best represented by the South's focus on agriculture and cash crops, maintained by slave labor, and the North's diverse economy, including manufacturing and shipbuilding.
Step-by-step explanation:
The economic differences between the Southern and New England colonies can be best exemplified by A. A reliance on cash crops in the South and manufacturing in the North. This is evident from the historical data that shows the Southern economy was heavily dependent on agriculture, particularly the cultivation of cash crops like cotton and tobacco, which were labor-intensive and required a large workforce, often sustained by the institution of slavery. The New England colonies, on the other hand, had a more diversified economy that included fishing, shipbuilding, and later on, manufacturing, due to the rocky terrain and harsher climate that made large-scale agriculture less viable.
In the South, the vast plantations and the single-crop economy created a need for a large labor force, which was provided by enslaved Africans. In contrast, New England's economy was built on a mix of small farms, manufacturing, and commerce. New England's shipbuilding industry, in particular, became one of its most prominent sectors, supporting both fishing and trade. The middle colonies found a middle ground with a focus on grain production and iron manufacturing, acting as a bridge between the South's agricultural economy and the North's industrial one.