- Cash crops: Tobacco, rice, indigo
- Food crops: Corn, wheat, vegetables
Reasons:
- Fertile soil
- Long growing season
- Water resources (rivers, bays)
- Access to markets (Europe, West Indies)
Trade:
- Export of agricultural goods
- Import of manufactured goods
Reasons:
- Southern economy was based on agriculture, so they needed to export their goods to get other things they needed like weapons, tools, luxury items.
Slavery:
- Many plantations in the South used enslaved African labor
- Enslaved people performed agricultural labor, domestic work, and other tasks
Reasons:
- The labor-intensive nature of agriculture in the South made slavery economically profitable
- The institution of slavery was supported by laws and social customs