HOW DID THE COLONIES FEEL ABOUT MERCANTILISM

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HOW DID THE COLONIES FEEL ABOUT MERCANTILISM?
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Middle Colonies (NY, NJ, PA, DE) Favored
Mercantilism

• They were helped by the Navigation Acts, because
  food was NOT an enumerated good.
• The English needed this food to feed their slave
  population in the West Indies.

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Southern Colonies (MD, VA, SC, NC, GA)Disliked
Mercantilism

• Colonies produced mostly enumerated agricultural
  goods (tobacco indigo) with no manufactured
  goods.
• The plantation owners needed manufactured goods,
  so they did not mind the Bills of Credit.
• However, many plantation owners fell into debt,
  so they needed cheap labor.

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Why African Slaves?

• By 1700, the slave trade was a major English
  activity, so it was pushed into the colonies.
• Cheap source of labor for plantations.
• Africans were easily identified, because of their
  skin color and were considered to be inferior.
• Why did indentured servitude lead to
  institutionalization of slavery? DISCUSS

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New England Colonies (MA, NH, CT, RI)Hated
Mercantilism

• They relied on trade as part of their economy.
• They needed currency (gold silver).
• New Englanders made profit and got needed goods
  through the TRIANGULAR TRADE.

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THE TRIANGULAR TRADERoute I

• Start In the Middle Colonies with food.
• Take food to West Indies to trade for sugar,
  fruit, and gold.
• With sugar, fruit, and gold to England to trade
  for manufactured goods.
• Return to colonies to trade manufactured goods.
  Start Over

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THE TRIANGULAR TRADE Route II

• Start In Middle or Southern Colonies with
  tobacco.
• Take tobacco to England in exchange for iron
  goods and textiles.
• With iron goods and textiles to West Africa to
  trade for slaves.
• Return to colonies to trade slaves for tobacco,
  gold, Bills of Credit, etc.
  Start Over

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THE TRIANGULAR TRADERoute III

• Start In West Indies with sugar and molasses.
• Take sugar and molasses to New England to
  trade/make rum.
• With rum to West Africa to trade for slaves.
• Return to West Indies to trade slaves for
  molasses and gold. Start Over

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NOTE Smuggling was an illegal, but thriving
practice because

• Huge profits.
• Hard to convict.
• Custom officials were bribed.
• Ocean too large for British navy to patrol.

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AFRICAN SLAVE TRANSPORTATION

• First Passage Africans were captured and
  brought to the coast, often by powerful African
  tribes, to be sold to the slave traders.
• Middle Passage (p.61) Crossing the Atlantic was
  the worst part and large numbers died, so the
  ships were as packed as possible.

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AFRICAN SLAVE TRANSPORTATION

• Third Passage The final sale to owner in the
  Americas.
• NOTE The Quakers were the first to protest
  against slavery.