The colonies developed a free-market economic system with little control from England initially. Children would apprentice with skilled workers after basic schooling to learn trades. Indentured servants who could not pay for passage to America would work for families for several years to pay off their voyage. Slavery began small but grew significantly as the tobacco industry expanded and plantations for crops like rice and cotton developed, requiring large amounts of cheap labor. By 1700, over 28,000 slaves lived in Virginia.

1. What Systems
Developed in the
Colonies?
Unit 4, Lesson 5

2. AGENDA
• Vocabulary
• Free Market Economy
• Child’s life
• Apprentices
• Slaves

3. mercantilism
• an economic system centered around
the belief that a government can
make a nation more prosperous by
regulating trade and using tariffs and
other protective measures to achieve
a balance of exports over imports.

4. mercantilism

5. artisan
• (noun) a skilled worker who
makes thing by hand

6. apprentice
• (noun) a person who learns a
skill or trade from an
experienced worker

7. journeyman
• (noun) a trained worker who is
employed by someone else

8. town common
• (noun) an open space in the
center of a town where cattle
and sheep could graze

9. free-market economy
• (noun) a system in which
prices are not controlled by
the government

10. Free-Market Economy
The colonies are a free-
market system. This means
that the king had little to no
control over the economy in
the colonies (at first).

11. Free-Market Economy
*Each colony had its own
government and they made
everyday decisions
*Conflicts between the English
and colonists didn’t begin until
later when the English began
trying to control the finances of
the colonists (taxes,
trade,fees, etc.)

12. Mercantilism
Mercantilism is an economic
philosophy the British followed.
It says…
1. A country (Great Britain) can get rich by having more colonies
2. The colony should supply raw materials and the mother country
should manufacture goods and sell them back to the colony
3. The mother country should export more than it imports
4. The mother country should control all trade

13. Apprentices
Children would go to school until the age
of around 7. Then, they worked on the
family farm or became an apprentice,
learning a trade and working for free.
*Room, clothing, and food paid for
*At 21 you could work as a journeyman or try to
start your own business

14. Apprentices

15. Indentured-Servants
A person that could
not pay for their trip
to America would
have his or her
voyage paid for and
then be indentured
to a family or master
for several years.

16. Slaves
Slavery Begins:
The growth of the tobacco industry
creates the need for slave labor
*Plantations system begins (crops
such as rice, indigo, and cotton
required cheap labor also)
*Were often taught a trade, but
never had the opportunity to run
their own business

17. Slaves
In 1640 there are
less than 200 slaves
in Virginia, but by
1700 there are more
than 28,000 slaves
in Virginia.