Asked in Law & Legal IssuesEconomicsColonial AmericaRhode Island
Law & Legal Issues
Economics
Colonial America
Rhode Island
What was the economy like in colonial Rhode Island?
Answer

Wiki User
October 02, 2009 1:01AM
Farming, fishing and i think textile
Related Questions
Asked in Economics, Colonial America, Rhode Island, Job Search
Colonial Rhode Island economics?

The industries that kept the Rhode Island Colony economically
healthy included shipbuilding and fishing, as well as whaling. The
colonists in Rhode Island were able to produce a lot of whale oil
which many people used in oil lamps. The soil was not as rich as it
was in some of the other colonies, but they were able to cultivate
a lot of beans and corn along with things like squash and
pumpkins.
Asked in Colonial America
What products are in the colony Rhode Island?

ANSWER:
During the colonial times of Rhode Island, a man by the name
of Samuel Slater, an English machinist settled in Rhode Island.
Slater, helped to establish the American textile industry. In the
late 1700's, he built the first cotton spinning mill driven by
water power.
Nehemiah and Seril Dodge, Rhode Island brothers, started the
jewelry industry in America. Rhode Islanders also were prominent in
boatbuilding, fishing, shipping, and whaling industries.
Also, during the colonial period, you could find plantations,
somewhat like those in the South. Slaves worked the land and took
care of the cattle, horses, and sheep. The plantations also
produced great quantities of cheese. However, the importation of
slaves was prohibited by Rhode Island in 1774.