Hello and welcome to a history of the United States.

Episode 33, The Massachusetts Life. Remember that this is a listener-supported podcast. If you enjoy the show, why not consider leaving a review on iTunes? It doesn't cost you anything, well, other than a bit of your time, and is a great way to help get word out about the show.

Special thanks to our newest pioneer, listener Melanie. Thank you. I couldn't do the show without you.

Having covered the early political developments in Massachusetts in our last episode, This time out, I want to take a look

at the more social side of things. The defining future of Massachusetts in these early years was

growth. Rapid growth. This was due to the large numbers of Puritans making the transatlantic voyage

to escape from the repressive policies of Charles I and the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Lord.

In just over a decade, 20,000 would make the journey. The volume of people

led to rapid maturity of the colony. Immigration is hugely important in driving economic growth,

and this was the case here. The first group of colonists had arrived too late in the season

of 1630, which had led to hundreds of deaths in their first winter. But once they could begin to grow

crops, they took to it with great gusto. A great deal of labour was needed in order

to provide food and shelter, but the immigrants were able to provide this labour. The colony did not

have much trouble taking care of itself, in contrast to Jamestown, which took

years of relying on supplies from England. The speed with which Massachusetts reached this

position is highly impressive. For instance, by 1634, it was already producing a crop surplus, and was able to send wheat to the West Indies, and the recently established colony of Maryland.

This was soon followed by cattle and fish, which were sent to Virginia and the Caribbean Islands, but this was just one arm of the trade network that was being set up.

Goods sold in Maryland and Virginia could be exchanged for tobacco and in the Indies for sugar.

These could be consumed by the New Englanders themselves or traded back to England.

The bulk of Massachusetts' trade was with England, where it would ship back its furs and its fish.

Fish was also sold in Spain and Portugal, where it could be exchanged for wine, lemons, and salt.

It's quite easy to see in the early years of Virginia, the future of the South, highly agricultural with a land-owning gentry.

...