1. Geography influenced the development of mercantilism by affecting what raw materials could be produced and exported from the colonies to Europe. The colonies provided goods like wood, fish, and cotton to strengthen European countries. 2. Under mercantilism, European countries like Britain passed laws requiring colonies to trade exclusively with the mother country. This led the colonies to develop plantation economies using slave labor for crops like tobacco and sugar to maximize profits for European merchants. 3. The triangular slave trade system emerged, with Europeans exchanging goods for African slaves. Slaves endured the horrific Middle Passage to the colonies, where they were forced to work plantations producing goods for export back to Europe under mercantilism

1. U.S. History
Ms. Gonzalez
September 22, 2015
Aim: What role did geography play
in the system of Mercantilism?
Do Now:
 Based on the
political cartoon,
what can you
infer is the
definition of
Mercantilism?

4.  How did geography affect
early settlement and
colonial development?
 Why was tobacco a crop
of the southern colonies
such as Virginia?

5. Which image
illustrates settlers
arriving in
Jamestown and
which one illustrates
settlers arriving in
Plymouth?
How do you
know?
#1
#2

6. HW
 Complete your notes based on
the PPT/video on our class site.
 Due Friday 09/25

8. •Mercantilism: European economic system that
supported the establishment of colonies that would
enrich the “Mother” country or the country in control of
the colonies.
1. Where are
they?
2. Who is the
“Mother
country”?
3. What is role
of the
colonies?
What is their
job?

9. Mercantilism: the goal is to strengthen and
enrich the country so it can compete with other
empires.
• A key to power is wealth and self-sufficiency: a
country that is able to produce all it needs for its
citizens and is able to gain wealth by selling goods to
other nations.
• Countries want to export more than import.

10. The role of the Colonies: provide raw
materials (so that the mother country does
not have to import from other nations)
• Example: the New England and Middle
colonies helped Britain maintain naval
supremacy by providing wood for ships, sailors,
trade
1.How did geography influence the
development of mercantilism?

11. What do the colonies provide to Great Britain?

12. Great Britain passed laws to enforce
Mercantilism:
• Required all exports from the colonies to go
to Great Britain so that British merchants
would then sell or trade the goods around the
world.
• Colonies were discouraged from buying
goods from other countries (are only allowed
to buy from Britain)
Navigation Acts All imports or exports
had to be carried on GB ships.
1.If you were a merchant (businessman) in the
colonies, would this law help you make profits?

13. So… Great Britain needs raw materials
from the colonies—like wood and cotton.
•Indentured servants who work on a
contract for 2-3 years are put to work
cutting trees and picking cotton, but once
their contract is up in 2-3 years, they are
legally allowed to leave their ‘bosses’.
What can Great Britain do to increase
profits ($$$)—have more trees cut for
wood and more cotton picked?

14. Get free labor to increase
productivity and profits

15. What was the Triangular Trade?
A system of trade between Africa, the
colonies, and European countries.
Why did the Slave Trade Begin?
 Need for a cheaper work force—free in this case.
 Indentured servants were Europeans. They got sick and
were not able to work under the hot climate and harsh
conditions of plantation (large farms).
Was Slavery a new thing before Europeans?
 No, Africans traded slaves long before Europeans arrived.
 African kingdoms used slaves they captured from different
African tribes.

16. The Transatlantic Slave
Trade or Triangular Trade
Involved 3 steps
1.First stage: manufactured goods (cloth,
tobacco, beads, guns, alcohol) from Europe
were sent to Africa.
2.The Middle Passage: slaves were sent from
Africa to the colonies.
3.Final stage: raw materials (cotton, sugar,
tobacco leaves, molasses and rum) were sent
to Europe from the colonies.

17. North
America
Africa
Great Britain
#1
#2
#3
The Transatlantic Slave Trade
or Triangular Trade

19. The Middle Passage
• 5 times as many Africans arrived in the Americas than Europeans. The
majority were shipped to Brazil, the Caribbean, and the Spanish colonies.

20. 1. How did Europeans obtained the slaves?
2. How would you describe the experience of the Middle Passage?
3. Why do you think some of the slaves captured chose to throw
themselves out of the ship?

21. Closure
1. What role did geography play in
the system of Mercantilism?
2. How did mercantilism lead to the
development of the Transatlantic
slave trade?