Economic Expansion in
18th Century Massachusetts
While the Southern economies began to expand into an agrarian society of plantations, slavery
and large scale commercial production, the northern colonies developed and expanded in a different way. The lack of ample land, unlike the South, drove the economies of Massachusetts in a unique direction. The farming that had been a foundation of 17th century economy of Massachusetts continued. Small farms produced wheat and corn and in the 18th century farm production of cider from apple orchard began to expand because of the ideal conditions and climate. In the 18th century, residents of Massachusetts began to expand and settle in the Connecticut valley and western Massachusetts because of more access to land and the ability for larger scale commercial agriculture. Though indentures still comprised the majority of the labor force in 18th century Massachusetts, slave labor was used in the Connecticut valley and in Western 
Massachusetts as the growth of larger scale agriculture increased.As it had in earlier centuries, animal husbandry for the production of milk from cows and the 
slaughter of hogs and steer remained a staple of New England's economy. Fishing remained a 
core element of the economy and the expansion of whaling in Cape Cod and Nantucket saw an explosion of growth in coastal town and seaports. New Englanders also began to build mills along rivers and streams to process grains, lumber and wool produced in the region. International trade also flourished and expanded in the 18th century. Ships carried timber and salt fish to the Caribbean and returned with molasses and sugar. Rum, distilled in Medford and 
Newburyport, was carried to West Africa along with cloth and simple utensils to be traded for slaves who were, in turn, carried to the Caribbean Islands and South America. These routes came to be known as the "Triangular Trade."
slaughter of hogs and steer remained a staple of New England's economy. Fishing remained a 
core element of the economy and the expansion of whaling in Cape Cod and Nantucket saw an explosion of growth in coastal town and seaports. New Englanders also began to build mills along rivers and streams to process grains, lumber and wool produced in the region. International trade also flourished and expanded in the 18th century. Ships carried timber and salt fish to the Caribbean and returned with molasses and sugar. Rum, distilled in Medford and 
Newburyport, was carried to West Africa along with cloth and simple utensils to be traded for slaves who were, in turn, carried to the Caribbean Islands and South America. These routes came to be known as the "Triangular Trade." References
Butler, John. Becoming America:The Revolution Before 1776. (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2000).
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