Which of the following best describes the primary economic activity in the New England colonies during the 17th century?

Core Concept

The New England colonies had rocky soil and a short growing season, making large-scale plantation agriculture impractical. Instead, colonists engaged in subsistence farming, fishing, shipbuilding, and maritime trade. The region's economy was based on small farms, timber, shipbuilding, fishing, and trade, rather than the plantation system that characterized the Southern colonies.