Question

What was a consequence of the Massachusetts and Connecticut colonial governments' decisions to sell land directly to individuals in the eighteenth century?

Answer 1

Answer:

A consequence of selling land to individuals was that money, rather than Puritan church membership, became the prerequisite for land acquisition.

Explanation:

New England developed differently than the other colonies because there was initially a very devout focus on the Puritan ideals so later colonists from England tended to settle in the middle colonies and in the South. In the early colonial days, the settlements in New England were usually fishing villages or farming hamlets along the rivers where there was more fertile land.  The general population of New England was highly literate compared to other colonial communities because individual study of the bible was important. The soil in the New England Colonies was not as fertile as further south. There was however an abundance of timber to use in construction and for export  back to England, where there was a shortage of wood. In addition, the furs from wildlife were also traded and became a commodity. Land was abundant and relatively inexpensive initially. There evolved a population of wealthy merchants who built water-powered textile mills along the rivers which led to early industrialization in this region.