6.3 – Busy Farms and Seaports

Rich Farmlands

• Middle colonies had fertile soil

• Gristmill – ground grain into flour• Farmers had to choose

whether to grind their wheat into flour or sell the wheat

• General Store sold goods that couldn’t be made at home.

How a Gristmill Works

Port Cities• Trade in the middle colonies

brought prosperity• Prosperity – economic success

• Hudson River – main river into New York

• Delaware River – main river into Philadelphia

• These rivers had access to the Atlantic Ocean

Exports and Imports

• Exports:• Furs, meat, lumber, grain

• Imports:• Furniture, tea, gunpowder, medicine,

metals, slaves

• ALL TRADE WAS WITH ENGLAND

Colonial Jobs• Artisans – blacksmiths (metal),

coopers (barrels), carpenters (wood), bricklayers (brick)

• Apprenticeship – an artisan would take on an apprentice to teach them a trade• Apprentice would live with the

artisan during their apprenticeship

• Women worked at home