As the shipbuilding industry grew, shipping and trading began to grow as well. Trading, or shipping goods to other countries, became a big business for those settlers who lived in towns around the harbors. Many of these towns became quite fancy, with mansions for the rich merchants. In the early 1800's ships were sailing regularly from Boston, as well as Newburyport and Salem, Massachusetts. These ships were sailing to Africa and Asia. They brought back silks, teas, jade, and spices to be sold in America. In turn, they took codfish, whale oil, lumber, and produce to the West Indies to trade for cocoa, tobacco, sugar, and molasses. These were brought to Massachusetts and other colonies.
Shipping goods on large ships required a lot of work. They needed a captain to run the ship and make sure everything ran smoothly. Strong men were needed to carry cargo on and off the ships, as well as do work on the ship while they were at seas. The journey on the ship was long, so cooks were needed to cook food for all the men. Working on a ship was tough work.