American History A
Mr. Bekemeyer
Triangle Trade, Mercantilism, and the Impact of SLAVERY
(Unit 1, Segment 2 of 5)
I.
Triangle Trade / Mercantilism (Economic Systems)
A.
Trans-Atlantic Trade
1.
America became an important part of the trans-Atlantic trade
network
a.
The colonies produced profitable ___________________,
such as tobacco, wheat, fish, indigo, & whale oil
b.
c.
2.
3.
Britain sold ____________________ goods back to the
colonists, such as clothing, tea, guns, & tableware
African slaves were brought to America via the
_________________________
Colonial raw materials helped drive British manufacturing & the
colonies presented a new ________________for the British to
sell their finished goods
The increased demand for colonial raw materials, increased the
demand for African _____________
4.
This pattern of trade between Europe, the colonies, and Africa
became known as the _______________________
5.
When the British colonies were first founded, there were few
restrictions on who the colonists could trade with
B. Mercantilism
1.
By the 1650s, the British gov’t began to embrace the economic
policy of ________________________________:
a.
b.
The colonies exist to generate wealth for the
___________________________
Promoted a balance of trade (more exports than imports)
c.
Meant that colonial trade must be regulated & controlled
II.
Slavery Life in the Americas
A.
Slavery in the "Southern" Colonies
1.
Slavery in the Southern colonies was far more common than in
the Northern colonies:
a.
Cash-crop agriculture, like tobacco & rice, required
workers
b.
By 1660, fewer indentured servants were coming to
America
c.
80-90% of Southern slaves were ____________________,
most on plantations
d.
Slave culture in the South:
(i)
Slaves came from a variety of places in West Africa
& had a variety of languages & cultures
(ii)
___________________ & dance were used to
maintain their African culture
(iii) ________________ were common, but marriage
was not recognized
(iv)
e.
Slave religion often blended African rituals with
Christianity
Slavery led to resistance:
(i)
_______________________ slaves were common
(ii)
Sabotaging of field tools & intentionally slowing
down the work were common techniques of slave
resistance
B.
Impact of the Slave Trade
1.
Approx. 1500-1800 (?)
a.
___________________ outlawed in Denmark (1803),
G.B. (1807), U.S. (1808), France (1814), Netherlands
(1817), Spain (1845)
Slavery itself???
2.
The Numbers:
a.
15th-16th Centuries – 2,000 Africans exported per year
b.
17th Century – 20,000 “…”
c.
18th Century – 55,000 “…”
d.
1780s – slave exports averaged _______________ per
year, some times exceeding 100,00 per year
e.
TOTAL NUMBER Exported: (10 - 12 million)
(2 + million died during transport--the middle passage)
3.
4.
What impact did slave trade have upon African society?
a.
Not all of Africa was affected equally by the trade
b.
Role of Geography: Kingdoms of Rwanda and Burundi
were ________ because they were _______________
kingdoms
c.
Some African societies benefited economically and
flourished (EX.) Oyo, Asante, and the Dahomey built
powerful states with newly obtained firearms
Losses from the Slave trade:
a.
Individual societies drastically impacted (Angola and
Senegal—near slave ports)
b.
_________________________ of gender ratios (2/3rds of
slaves exported were male)
Caused political turmoil among African societies
c.