What was a primary economic activity in the southern colonies?

Plantations growing tobacco were a primary economic activity in the southern colonies due to the region's suitable climate and fertile soil. Tobacco became a significant cash crop that fueled economic growth and the establishment of a plantation system, which relied heavily on labor—initially through indentured servants and later through enslaved Africans. This agricultural focus shaped not only the economy but also the social and political structures of the southern colonies, leading to the development of a society that was largely agrarian and dependent on slavery.

In contrast, manufacturing textiles was more characteristic of the northern colonies, where industrial development was more pronounced. Mining for coal was not a prominent activity in the early southern colonies, and while trading furs did occur, it was primarily associated with the northern regions, where fur-bearing animals were more abundant and extensively hunted by early European settlers and Native Americans alike. Thus, the cultivation of tobacco stands out as the primary economic activity that defined the southern colonies.