In the southern 13 colonies, settlers could take various resources from the land. Some of the valuable resources they could take included fertile soil for agriculture, timber for building and trade, and abundant water sources for fishing and transportation. Additionally, they often engaged in activities like farming, mining, and logging to extract natural resources and support their growing colonies' economies. Slavery was prevalent in these colonies, and unfortunately, enslaved Africans were forced to work on plantations to produce cash crops like tobacco, rice, and indigo. The exploitation of these resources played a significant role in shaping the economy and society of the southern colonies during that period.