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Mercantilism and the Triangular Trade

Adapted from: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/activities/mercantilism-background-handout and https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/origins-of-the-slave-trade  

Option A

Lexile: 1150
Word Count: 472
Vocabulary: slave-trading, cowry, mercantilism, mercantilist, enslave, enslaved, triangular 

Mercantilism: An Economic System of European Powers 

Mercantilism was an economic system used by European countries in the 1600s and 1700s. It was based on the idea that a country’s wealth came from collecting precious metals like gold and silver. To make their economies stronger, European countries set up colonies around the world. These colonies provided raw materials and bought finished goods from the mother country. This setup helped European nations have more exports than imports, keeping valuable metals within the country. Manufactured goods were more valuable, so this helped European nations stay economically independent while avoiding imports. 

Having a strong fleet of merchant ships was crucial for trading products throughout the empire. In the mid-1700s, British colonies in North America played a key role by buying British goods, which helped Britain prosper. However, colonial boycotts before the American Revolution had a big economic impact. The British enforced mercantilist policies in the colonies through laws like the Navigation Acts, often not strictly enforcing them. But after the French and Indian War, tighter enforcement led to increased tensions, eventually contributing to the American Revolution. 

Mercantilism and the Global Slave Trade 

The mercantilist system and colonies were also linked to the global slave trade, a terrible and brutal practice providing labor for sugar, cotton, and other industries. The discovery of the Americas and the demand for sugar caused European countries to seek African slaves. Africa’s existing slavery systems and its location near trade routes made it central to this trade. African leaders traded enslaved people for items like cowry shells, rum, guns, and textiles, which increased their power. 

European slave-trading was carefully managed. Ship captains needed to get ​​permissions from government officials and pay fees before getting trade supplies. When they reached Africa, they negotiated with local leaders, often paying dues or offering gifts for enslaved people. Captives, often taken in violent raids, were kept in coastal forts before being sent on ships. The journey, called the Middle Passage, was horrific. Enslaved people were chained in cramped, dirty conditions, causing high death rates averaging around 15 percent during the journey. 

The Middle Passage was part of the triangular trade system connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Once in the Americas, captains sold enslaved people for goods like sugar, rum, and cotton, which went back to Europe. Although profitable for traders, the slave trade took a huge human toll, taking freedom from millions of Africans and causing immense suffering. Before 1820, most people arriving in the Americas were enslaved Africans. While British North America got about six percent of these captives, other places like Brazil and the Caribbean were major destinations due to the high demand for labor in raising sugar. European mercantilism played an important role in shaping the economies of the North American colonies and shaped trade policies between European nations and their colonies. 

 

Option B

Lexile: 1020
Word Count: 372
Vocabulary: mercantilism, mercantilist, enslave, enslaved, finished, plantation, immense, triangle 

Mercantilism: An Economic System of European Powers 

In the 1600s and 1700s, European countries followed a system called mercantilism. They believed that a country’s strength was measured by how much gold and silver it had. To become richer, these countries set up colonies around the world. Colonies gave them raw materials and bought goods made in Europe. This way, more gold stayed in Europe, and nations grew more powerful. Valuable goods like finished products helped countries avoid buying too much from others.  

European countries needed strong ships to carry goods. In the 1700s, British colonies in North America were important for buying British products, which helped Britain grow rich. When these colonies stopped buying British goods before the American Revolution, it hurt Britain’s economy. The British tried to control trade through laws like the Navigation Acts, but these were not always strictly followed. After the French and Indian War, stricter rules led to problems and helped cause the American Revolution.  

Mercantilism and the Global Slave Trade 

The mercantilist system also involved the global slave trade. The discovery of America and the need for workers led Europeans to want African slaves. Because Africa had existing slavery systems, it became a center for this trade. African merchants and leaders traded slaves to Europeans for things like guns and clothing.  

The slave trade was highly organized. Captains of ships needed permission and supplies before trading. At the African coast, they made deals with local leaders to obtain slaves. These enslaved people were often taken by force and kept in poor conditions before being sent on the Middle Passage to the Americas.  

This journey was part of a trade triangle linking Europe, Africa, and the Americas. In the Americas, slaves were exchanged for goods like sugar, which were sent back to Europe. While profitable for traders, the slave trade caused immense human suffering.  

By 1820, most people going to the Americas were enslaved Africans. While the United States banned the importation of slaves in 1808, many enslaved people were still brought to the Americas. Places like Brazil and the Caribbean needed many slaves for sugar plantations and mines. European mercantilism played an important role in shaping the economies of the North American colonies and shaped trade policies between European countries and their colonies.

Images:

Cross-Section of a Slave Ship. 1830. Engraving from Robert Walsh, Notices of Brazil in 1828 and 1829, vol. 2, p. 479. London: Frederick Westley and A.H. Davis. Wikimedia Commons.
This illustration, based on Walsh’s firsthand account of a captured Brazilian slave ship in 1829, depicts the inhumane conditions endured by enslaved Africans during the Middle Passage. 

 

Caption: Triangular Trade. 2022. Digital vector map. Created by Hogweard.
Original Source. This map shows the Mercantilist system or “triangular trade.”  

 

Caption: In this undated political cartoon, a woman representing the mother country is served gold and silver, foodstuffs, and raw materials from her three servants representing colonies.