Though it would remain a slave state until the end of the Civil War, it was not until the 1700s that labor began to drive agricultural production in the colony.
The colonial-era would also see Maryland begin early industrialization and urbanization, experiment with different monetary systems, and make efforts to diversify its economy.
Landing initially on St. Clement's Island on March 25, 1634, Maryland's first settlers would establish their colony around St. Mary's City.
[5] They practiced a form of agriculture that employed twenty-year crop rotations and that preserved the viability of the land but limited economies of scale.
As a result, many poorer farmers began to diversify their efforts, adding cattle and grain to their fields and adopting crafts.
[16] To supplement their income, large planters increasingly turned to money lending and renting land to tenant farmers.
As a result, currency shortages were frequent in Maryland and merchants often paid British firms with bills of exchange.