How did the English Colonies in the South develop over the 17th century? Describe the importance of land and labor to their new economies. How did colonists justify their treatment of African American slaves and Native Americans?

How did the English Colonies in the South develop over the 17th century?

The English Colonies in the south developed as plantation colonies.

A plantation is simply a large farm where a cash crop is cultivated (instead of a crop used for self-subsistance), and that mostly employs either enslaved labor (african americans), or indentured labor (european immigrants who came as indentured servants).

The plantations were initially of rice, and later, expanded to include sugar cane, tobacco, and cotton.

Describe the importance of land and labor to their new economies.

The land was extremely important because it was an economy based on agriculture. Land was the most important factor of production in economic terms.

Labor was also important because the crops were labor-intensive (needed many workers).

This is why the plantations owners decided to import hundreds of thousands of slaves, because it made labor cheaper.

How did colonists justify their treatment of African American slaves and Native Americans?

The colonists saw African Americans and Native Americans as inferior people. Some of them did not even think that they were persons.

They also justified this treatment on economic terms.