Before the foundation of the United States, the Kingdom of Britain owned the 13 colonies on the East shore of North America. Those colonies were separated into 3 regions: the New England, the Middle Colonies, the Southern Colonies. Economic activities and trade was dependent of the environment in each of those regions. Economy in the New England : ship building industry, fishing, trade. Economy in the Middle Colonies: farming, lot of jobs for skilled workers. Also merchants invested money in colonies. In the Southern Colonies: cotton and tobacco-industry. The economy impact the livelihood of the original 13 colonies by giving jobs and money to the colonists.