The Southern colonies flourished because of the warm climate and good soil, which paved the way for massive agricultural growth.
The Southern colonies had a warm climate, which the Northern colonies did not have. They also had very rich soil which was full of nutrients, this made crops grow faster and more abundant. The South focused on growing cash crops, which were crops that sold for a lot of money, particularly overseas. Some of these cash crops were indigo, tobacco, and cotton. As the demand for more crops and the South expanded, the Southern colonies realized they needed labor to tend to the crops.
At first, the Southern colonies relied on indentured servants. Many of these people had their passage bought from Europe and needed to repay in the form of work. This only meant they would work for a couple of years though and the South realized they wanted a more easy and permanent approach. This is when they turned to slavery.
Although the Southern colonies relied on slavery, their economy still flourished and they became more and more different from the Northern colonies. The North relied on industrialization and did not use slavery, but the South relied on farming and agriculture, with the use of slavery.
