The Virginia and the Massachusetts colonies differed greatly in terms of society and economy. Virginia was a Southern colony while Massachusetts was a New England colony and with this came great divergence. Massachusetts had a society that was based on strict Puritan religion and an economy that relied on trade while Virginia had a society that was loosely structured on more relaxed, Anglican values and an economy that relied on tobacco. Virginia's economy depended on staple crops and land speculation. Large-scale farmers bought up Virginia's ample real estate because Virginia had the benefit of a climate that was conducive to agriculture. The warm weather and the plentiful rainfall enabled the Southern colonies to grow exotic staples that were prized by the mother country. Tobacco ended up being extremely successful in Virginia and farming it eventually took over most of the land. With the tobacco industry booming, Virginia depended on African or Indian slaves and indentured servants to do the work on the plantations. Indentured servants were those who signed an indenture, or contract, by which they promised to work for a fixed number of years (usually between four and seven) in return for their transportation to America. .
The Massachusetts economy depended on marine trade and commerce. Unlike Virginia, Massachusetts had a lack of staple crops to exchange for English goods, but the success of their own shipping mercantile enterprises worked in their favor. The New England colonies had the benefit of abundant natural resources and lucrative crops such as furs, deerskins, timber, fish, tobacco, indigo, rice, sugar, etc. and they traded them with other countries. By the end of the 17th century, the colonies had become part of the intricate North Atlantic commercial connection, and were trading with both Britain and the West Indies. They also traded illegally with Spain, France, Portugal, Holland, and their colonies from America to the shores of Africa.
