DO NOW – 10 Minutes
 What makes an economy strong?
 What makes an economy weak?
 What would a perfect economy look like?
 How does the economy impact you?
Exit Quiz Review
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Identify one characteristics of New Amsterdam’s
government.
Why were PUSH factors from the Netherlands not
strong?
Why did the Dutch give up New Amsterdam to the
English?
Who were the Quakers? What ideas did the Quakers
support?
Identify one reason why colonists in Pennsylvania
prospered.
SSUSH2a
SWBAT explain the development of mercantilism and
the trans-Atlantic trade.
Agenda
 SSUSH2a – SWBAT explain the development of
mercantilism and the Transatlantic Trade.
 Essential Question – How were the economies of
England and the American colonies connected?
Mercantalism
 Mercantilism – A nation or an empire could build
wealth and power by developing its industries and
exporting manufactured goods in exchange for
gold and silver.
 A nation’s power is determined by how much gold and
silver it has.
 To be wealthy, you have to sell more than you buy
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Goal - gold is coming in, not going out.
Imports & Exports
 Import – a good made in another country that is
brought into a country to be consumed.
 Export – a good made in a country that is sent away to
another country to be consumed.
Mercantilism & Colonies
 For England, the colonies served 2 purposes:
 1.) Offered new resources (gold coming in)
 2.) Offered a new market. (gold coming in)
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English could now sell to a whole new continent (including Native
Americans).
 America existed to support England
 England was overcrowded and had very little land
 America had abundant land
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Good for farming
America provided much food for England
90% of colonists worked in agriculture (farming)
Transatlantic Trade
Stop and Jot – 5 minutes
 Pretend that you are a merchant who is part of a joint-
stock company that travels to the Americas to trade.
Explain why you go, what you trade, and why the
colonies are extremely important for Mercantilism.
 Paragraph of at least 5 sentences
Navigation Acts
 Only English ships could trade w/ colonies
 Colonies could only buy European goods that came
through an English port
 English would tax these goods.
 Valuable colonial goods could only go to England
 Tobacco, Sugar, etc
Growth of English Economy
 In 1600, England had been a poor nation.
 By 1700, England’s economy was booming
 6 times the value of imports/exports
 London became world’s largest port.
Increasing Reliance on Colonies
 In 1700, colonies consumed < 10% of English exports
 By 1772, rose to 32%
 Colonies were importing more than they were
exporting
 Deficit
 Many colonists had growing debts.
Group Activity – 5 - 10 minutes
Divide into the following groups:
a. A king in Europe
b. European shopkeepers
c. European farmers
c. Shopkeepers in Europe
d. Farmers in the New World (American colonies)
2. In your group, first answer the following two questions:
a. What would be benefits of mercantilism for you?
b. What do you see as a possible negative aspect to mercantilism?
c. Overall, is mercantilism a positive or a negative system for you?
Group Activity – 15 minutes
 Next, in your group, pretend you get to start a new business.
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Within the rules of mercantilism, create a new business. This
business can be anything at all. It must be a business that can
succeed in mercantilism. Create a business plan for this new
business.
How will it succeed?
What challenges will it face?
How will you overcome those challenges?
How will you use mercantilism and Transatlantic trade to your
advantage?
How will Transatlantic Trade and mercantilism make it harder
for your business to succeed?
Be sure to consider how the Navigation Acts will impact your
business.
Business Plan Presentations
10-15 minutes
 Select one group member to present their business
plan.
 The other group members will each be asked one
question by the teacher about how their business plan
will work within the Mercantilism system and the
Transatlantic Trade System.
Exit Quiz – 7 minutes
1.) According to mercantilism, which of the following is most
important to the economy?
The individual
The nation
Both the individual and the nation
Neither the individual nor the nation
2.) According to mercantilism, an economy is strong when:
There are more imports than exports
There are more exports than imports
Exit Quiz
3.) Name one rule put in place by the Navigation Acts.
4.) In the 18th century, who did Transatlantic Trade
benefit more? The English or the American colonists?
5.) What was the most common industry that the
American colonists worked in?