Mercantilism Through the Triangular Trade —
Answer Key
1. Discuss and define the following economic terms:
a. Import — Goods or resources that come into the country from other countries.
b. Export — Goods or resources that leave the country and are sold to other countries.
c. Goods — Items that are made (manufactured) for sale.
d. Markets — Places where items are bought and sold (can be physical, such as a store, or virtual, such as EBay).
2. From the paragraph below, complete the chart in the space provided that shows the triangular trade of the 18th century.
The first leg of the voyage often
Where: England
started in an English port. Ships
were loaded with goods to take
Imported: Sugar, tobacco, other
to Africa to trade for slaves.
agricultural products
The second leg — often called
Exported: Goods
the “dreaded Middle Passage”
— carried the slaves who had
been purchased or captured
from Africa to the slave markets
of the New World. For the
third leg, ships full of sugar,
tobacco and other products
Atlantic
Where:
from the Americas (and from
Ocean
Americas
the Caribbean Islands) traveled
to the English ports. Of course,
Imported:
there were problems, especially
Slaves
on the Middle Passage leg of
Where: Africa
Exported:
the journey. Other ships might
Sugar, tobacco,
Imported: Goods
attack them and take the load
other agricultural
of captive slaves to sell for
Exported: Slaves
products
themselves. Sometimes slaves
rebelled or illness erupted and
decimated the slaves and the
crew.
The triangular trade is an example of mercantilism, or the idea that the mother country gains wealth and power by controlling
the trade of its colonies. By taking products from America and then either creating manufactured goods or selling the original
products to other countries (foreign markets), England was able to profit from the wealth of goods found in America. An American
merchant would not be able to deal with another country directly, but would have to operate within the rules the English government
established for them.
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