Mercantilism

England said the colonies could only trade with England and all materials had to be shipped on British ships

Was difficult to enforce Ignored by the colonists

Ignored by the colonists - they smuggled goods from other countries who sold items cheaper than England 

Initial resources sent to England from the colonies did not provide large profits

They discovered that there was not gold as England had initially thought. 

Discovered the Southern colonies has a climate and soil that would support the growth of crops that were in high demand in England

Those crops required a large labor force in order to grow enough to make a profit

American Indians - were the first choice for labor. They were kidnapped and forced to work. However, they were able to use their knowledge of the landscape to escape

Indentured Servants - many in England wanted to move to the colonies for the opportunities provided, but couldn’t afford the trip. They would get their trip paid for by a plantation owner and would then work on their plantation for a preset number of years to pay off their debt

Slaves - both of those options were expensive so plantation owners turned to slave labor