Topic 2.2: Transatlantic Trade and Mercantilism

What was the main theme of Unit 2 Topic 2?

Work, Exchange, and Technology.

What was the key learning objective for Topic 2?

To explain the causes of the growth of the transatlantic trade and analyze its effects on the economies of the British North American colonies.

What caused the development of transatlantic trade?

The establishment of colonies and the high demand for goods in Europe caused the development of a vast trading network between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.

What was the system of trade connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas called?

The Atlantic Trade System or Triangular Trade.

Why was the Triangular Trade called “triangular”?

Because it formed a three-way network in which each leg of the journey involved different goods and destinations.

What was the first leg of the Triangular Trade?

Ships carried manufactured goods from Europe to Africa.

What were examples of goods sent from Europe to Africa?

Weapons, textiles, iron, and alcohol.

What was traded for these European goods on the African coast?

Enslaved Africans.

What was the second leg of the Triangular Trade called?

The Middle Passage.

What happened during the Middle Passage?

Enslaved Africans were transported across the Atlantic Ocean to the Americas under horrific conditions.

What were the conditions like on the Middle Passage?

Enslaved Africans were packed tightly into ships, suffering from disease, malnutrition, abuse, and up to 20% mortality rates.

What was the third leg of the Triangular Trade?

Ships transported American agricultural products, raw materials, and cash crops to Europe.

What were the main cash crops shipped from the Americas?

Sugar, tobacco, rice, and indigo.

What was the purpose of the Triangular Trade system?

To create a self-reinforcing cycle of commerce that brought wealth to European nations and their colonies through the exchange of goods and enslaved people.

How did the Triangular Trade benefit European nations?

It fueled economic growth, enriched merchants, and provided a steady supply of raw materials for European manufacturing.

What economic policy governed Britain’s relationship with its colonies?

Mercantilism.

What was mercantilism?

An economic theory that held that a nation’s power depended on its wealth, measured in gold and silver, and that colonies existed to benefit the mother country economically.

What did mercantilism encourage European nations to do?

To maximize exports, minimize imports, and accumulate wealth through controlled trade networks.

How did mercantilism shape Britain’s approach to its colonies?

Britain sought to use its American colonies to produce raw materials and buy finished goods, keeping wealth within the British Empire.

What restrictions did Britain place on colonial trade under mercantilism?

Colonies could only trade with England or through English merchants, and valuable goods had to be shipped directly to England.

What laws did Parliament pass to enforce mercantilism?

The Navigation Acts.

What was the first major Navigation Act and when was it passed?

The Navigation Act of 1651.

What did the Navigation Act of 1651 require?

That all goods imported or exported from the colonies had to be carried on English ships.

What was the Navigation Act of 1660?

It required that specific “enumerated” goods (like tobacco, sugar, and cotton) could only be exported to England or other English colonies.

What was the Navigation Act of 1663 (the Staple Act)?

It required that all European goods bound for the colonies must first pass through England, where they would be taxed before shipment.

What was the purpose of these Navigation Acts?

To ensure England profited from colonial trade and to prevent the colonies from trading freely with other nations.

How did the colonies respond to the Navigation Acts?

Some colonists complied, but many resorted to smuggling and illegal trade with other countries to avoid restrictions.

How did mercantilism affect colonial manufacturing?

It limited colonial industry since the colonies were expected to supply raw materials and buy manufactured goods from England.

What was one economic benefit the colonies gained under mercantilism?

Guaranteed markets in England for their goods.

What was a major economic drawback for the colonies under mercantilism?

They were restricted from trading freely or developing independent industries.

How did mercantilism contribute to colonial resentment?

Colonists began to resent British control over their economy and the limitations on their freedom to trade.

What was salutary neglect?

Britain’s unofficial policy of allowing the colonies to violate trade laws as long as the colonies continued to contribute to England’s wealth.

Why did Britain practice salutary neglect?

Because strict enforcement was costly and Britain prioritized loyalty and profit over rigid control.

What was an unintended consequence of salutary neglect?

It allowed the colonies to develop their own political institutions, trade networks, and sense of independence.

How did the Triangular Trade contribute to the growth of port cities?

Ports like Boston, New York, and Charleston grew wealthy as centers of shipping, shipbuilding, and commerce.

What was one of the most profitable trade routes for New England merchants?

The rum trade — shipping rum to Africa in exchange for enslaved Africans, who were then sold in the Caribbean for molasses used to make more rum.

What was the effect of the Triangular Trade on African societies?

It caused massive population loss, warfare between African states, and social disruption.

How did the slave trade impact European economies?

It enriched European merchants and governments through taxes and the sale of enslaved people.

How did the slave trade affect the Americas?

It fueled plantation economies, especially in the southern colonies and the Caribbean, and entrenched racial slavery as a labor system.

What was one of the long-term consequences of the transatlantic slave trade?

The creation of a race-based social hierarchy in the colonies.

How did transatlantic trade affect the environment in the Americas?

Plantations expanded massively, depleting soil nutrients and reshaping ecosystems for monocrop agriculture.

How did transatlantic trade affect the environment in Africa?

It caused depopulation in some areas and encouraged overexploitation of resources by coastal states.

What role did the Caribbean play in the Atlantic Trade System?

It was the center of sugar production, which was the most profitable cash crop in the system.

Why was sugar so important to the British Empire?

It generated enormous profits and drove the expansion of slavery in the Caribbean.

How did the Atlantic economy affect the British crown?

It enriched the monarchy through taxes and trade duties on colonial goods.

How did the Atlantic economy affect colonial elites?

It created a wealthy merchant and planter class that dominated colonial politics and society.

What was one of the major cultural effects of transatlantic trade?

It led to cultural exchanges among Africans, Europeans, and Native Americans in food, language, and traditions.

How did transatlantic trade contribute to the growth of capitalism?

The large profits and financial investments in trade companies encouraged private enterprise and accumulation of capital.

What was one of the earliest joint-stock companies involved in transatlantic trade?

The Royal African Company, chartered by England to trade enslaved Africans.

What was the overall economic result of the Atlantic Trade System?

It tied together four continents into a single global economy, enriching Europe at the expense of Africa and the Americas.