Derek Adams
Structured Discovery
British imperial economics- Colonization and Trade
India, China, America
Connection Analysis:
8.A.History. The student understands the causes and the global impact of the Industrial Revolution
and European imperialism from 1750 to 1914.
(In this lesson we will be primarily focusing on Great Britain and the cultivation and selling of Opium
to China. This is used an illustration of how European imperialism and colonization affected
countries and peoples far from Britain’s shores. )
8.B identify the major political, economic, and social motivations that influenced European
imperialism.
Content Analysis:
Principle: Mercantilist policies led to British dominance in southeast Asia- ultimately fueling the
opium trade within china- In order to help fuel further British industrialization.
Pre-requisite skill: Understanding European global military/economic dominance from the 15th
century to the 18th century.
Key terms:
Mercantilism- Economic system in which government control of foreign trade is of
paramount importance for ensuring the military/economic security of the country. In
particular, it demands a positive balance of trade.
Objectives: Students will write a two paragraph essay explaining the connections between The
industrial revolution in England, Opium exports in India, and the Opium wars in China.
Objective rationale: Knowing how British mercantilist policies functioned- students can see how
nations were able to industrialize at a rapid pace. Most of western culture has been built around a
highly industrialized society.
Critical Management skills: Standard classroom arrangement.
Gaining attention- Students, when I ask for your attention- stop what you are doing and look at me.
Communicating behavior expectations: Students, you will sit quietly and raise your hand if you have
any questions/problems.
Lesson Opening:
Connections:
Students, today we are going to be building on information we have already covered. We will be
examining a particular part of British Colonialism- the East India Trading Company and its selling of
Opium to the Chinese! Did you know at one point Opium provided 30% of the total income of the
British Empire? It was very profitable but very bad for the Chinese people! The Chinese government
even tried to close their ports so that opium could be kept out of the country. Today we will be
looking at how the Opium trade operated- and how it benefited British Industrialization.
Reasons why European nations colonized other regions- economic/military advantages to
colonization.
State the Objective: To discover the connections between the East India Trading Company and
opium sales in china- to the growth of Industry in England.
Objective Purpose: Understanding imperial economics lays the foundation for many of the Conflicts
and events that has shaped the world we live in today.
Lesson Body:
Teacher will show a video Clip “India and the Opium trade” to students, Students will then research
connections between British Industrialization-The Indian Crown Colony- Using a graphic organizer
or an essay consisting of two written paragraphs- Students will explain the link between EnglandIndia and the Opium trade in China.
Examples:
1. Mr. McConnell is a merchant in London. He sells cotton thread produced in a factory that
he owns.
a. Where do you think the cotton to produce the thread comes from? Introduces the
idea of needing a colony to provide raw materials (connect to the definition of
mercantilism).
b. CFU: have the students make a note on a blank World Map. Students need to locate
London and make a note about manufacturing
Note: the following scenario should be carefully introduced and managed by the teacher to make
sure that students fully grasp the information:
2. Xi Lian is an opium addict in Hong Kong. He gets his opium from and legally sanctioned
opium den run by the East India Trading Company.
a. Why would Xi Lian be an opium addict? (the teacher could briefly discuss the
detrimental health effects of long-term opium use)
b. Why would opium be legally sanctioned?
c. Why would the East India Company be selling opium to a Chinese person in the
British colony of Hong Kong?
3. Nehru Patel grows Opium in Afghanistan on the border of India (introduce the idea that
Pakistan didn’t exist and that Afghanistan still exports tremendous amounts of opium) (Also
expound on the fact that Indians were not allowed to produce their own manufactured
goods- thus remaining reliant on British goods)
4. George Smith, an American colonist buys cotton undergarments from The East India
Company. These are sewn together with thread from Mr. McConnell’s factory.
5. Albert Knighton- The British Military commander for the Hong Kong garrison ensures
Chinese ports remain open and that the flow of opium isn’t disrupted.
6. Lin Huakai is a wealthy Chinese merchant (also working for the East India Trading Company)
He advertizes various strains of opium throughout China- marketing the product to local
buyers/users
Mr. McConnel –London Merchant/Factory Owner
Nehru Patel- Opium Farmer in India
Xi Lian- Opium Addict in Hong Kong
Albert Knighton- British Commander- Hong Kong Garrison
George Smith- American Colonist
Lin Huakai- Chinese merchant/businessman
World map attachment
Supervised practice: Students match People to places on the world map- trying to draw conclusions
about the relationship between each person/place. Students may draw arrows and write notes on
the map. Teacher will be moving around the room asking questions and providing feedback.
Active participation:
Universal interventions: Helping students with geographic locations- teaching locations and
geographic features/areas.
Extended Practice: Students fill in graphic organizer provided on second page- Linking Great Britain,
India and China and signifying the triangle of opium trading and its benefits to Britain
Lesson Closing: Students write one or two paragraphs explaining the links between these
completely different geographic regions and their relationship with each other.
Evaluation: Teacher will take up map activity and written paragraphs- will be graded according to
checklist.
Blank map
British
Manufactured
Goods
Chinese $$
Indian Opium