In general, backcountry colonists were more self-sufficient than plantation owners. There are several reasons for this. One of the main reasons is the fact that backcountry colonists generally grew their own food and relied little on supplies from shops. This is because land was not suited for agriculture at a large scale, as well as due to the fact that shops were not readily available.
On the other hand, plantation owners generally produced cash crops that were intended to be sold, and not consumed by the family. Therefore, the family needed to obtain all their resources from commerce. Moreover, the large size of a plantation meant that these could not be operated without slave labor.
