Why were the colonies valuable to Europe? (Imperialism)

By using colonies as sources of raw materials and markets for manufactured goods, colonial powers held back the colonies from developing industries. One reason why the standard of living was so poor in many of these countries was that the natural wealth of these regions had been funneled to the mother countries.

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Basically, they found goods that had a market in Europe. The English that settled New England found timber that was great for building ships. The English that settled the middle colonies of New York and Pennsylvania found good farmland that was great for growing food that could be sold in Europe.