Their economic system could never rival that of the bustling sea towns of the south. Their economy thrived on shipbuilding, fishing, and whaling. Due to Puritan beliefs, people lived simply and sometimes lavishness was outlawed. These beliefs also discouraged immigrants to come and stay, lest they be discriminated against. Because of this, most of New England was not very diverse. On the other hand, the Chesapeake colonies lived off large plantation systems that grew cash crops such as tobacco and rice. They relied heavily on trade and besides Maryland, the Chesapeake didn't make food crops for itself. The slave trade took off in the mid-seventeen hundreds due to the fear of uprising from poor white farmers. The large amount of labor was necessary to operate the plantations. Slavery never took off in New England because it wasn't needed. Geography played a large role in the colonies’ economics because the fertile soil of the Chesapeake was excellent for large scale farming while the soil (or lack of) in New England couldn't sustain farms of that