Triangular Trade

You have been learning about the colonies in America. As the colonists learned how to cultivate and use the natural resources in America such as cotton, tobacco, lumber etc. they were able to trade these resources with Europe. Remember England controlled the colonies so any importing (goods coming into the colonies) or exporting (goods leaving the colonies) by the colonies was controlled by England.

This kind of trade is called mercantilism. In mercantilism the government determines what you can trade, how much it costs and who you can trade with. England also determined what goods were sent to the colonies and how much the colonists paid for those goods as well as how much they could sell the goods for.

The trade system that was developed ended up creating a Triangular Trade. The colonies would export raw materials such as lumber, cotton and tobacco to Europe. Europe would manufacture these materials into products such as furniture, clothing and guns. They would then export these materials to America and Africa.

Africa in turn would send slaves to the Americas (the colonies and Caribbean Islands). This route from Africa was known as The Middle Passage. It was the long, horrible journey for slaves. The slaves were packed into the ships so tight there was little room for movement, the conditions were horrible and many slaves died on this journey.

Using slave labor kept the cost of cotton, tobacco and other materials down. If you look at the map below you will see these trade routes created a triangular route. Which is why it was called triangular trade.

The high demand for America’s natural resources such as cotton, tobacco and lumber, increased the amount of slaves sent to America to do the labor. It also meant more land was cleared to cultivate these resources which displaced many Native Americans.

Research more about the Triangular Trade. What were the goods exported and imported? What is the impact of this Trading system to America? Record your findings on the worksheet. Click on the Activity to download your worksheet. When finished, submit it to your teacher for a grade.