Question

Since the southern colonies had an agricultural economy: a. they had many small farms that grew cash crops. b. they were also large and sparsely populated. c. they relied on the labor of enslaved people. d. they did not have many large cities or towns.

Answer 1

The southern colonies were mainly agricultural economies, featuring large plantations growing cash crops. These plantations were labor intensive, leading to a heavy reliance on enslaved people. The colonies were sparsely populated and did not feature many large cities or towns.

Step-by-step explanation:

The southern colonies in pre-revolutionary America were fundamentally agricultural economies, where all of the provided options were largely true. They did have a large number of farms, referred to as plantations, growing cash crops like tobacco and cotton. Because of the significant land requirements of these plantations, these colonies were quite sparsely located with longer distances between settlements compared to the northern colonies. Due to the labor-intensive nature of these cash crops, they relied heavily on the labor of enslaved people. This agricultural lifestyle moreover meant these colonies had fewer large cities or towns, as the primary economic activity was centered around plantations rather than urban industries or trade.

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