Final answer:
New York's 1600s economy was shaped by the Dutch patroon system, fur trade with Native Americans, and later English control maintained commercial focus.
Step-by-step explanation:
Technologies and Economic Activities in 1600s New York
The economy of New York in the 1600s was primarily driven by its commercial focus under Dutch and later English control. Initially, the Dutch utilized the patroon system, awarding generous plots of land with riverfronts to proprietors to encourage settlement and farming.
This system aimed to supply the colony and ship excess produce to other Dutch settlements. However, the system's success was limited, and there was reliance on both free and bound labor to meet labor demands.
Dutch merchants also played a significant role in establishing economic activities around the fur trade, interacting with Native American tribes like the Iroquois for their lucrative European firearms and metal tools.
When the English took over, the continuity of the commercial focus was essential for the economic growth of the colonies. The English proprietors, such as the Duke of York, saw the colonies as an opportunity to increase their wealth.
They continued the patroonship system granting large estates to a few families, like the one granted to Robert Livingston, which helped these families become a significant political and economic force. New York City also exhibited diversity with various peoples and religions contributing to its growth.
The city's population grew significantly, illustrating its burgeoning market economy and position as a commercial center. Though the steamboat engine was a later innovation, introduced in the 1800s, it exemplifies the type of technological advancements that drove economic development in New York.