Unit 2: Topic 4 - Transatlantic Trade Flashcards
Describe the triangular trade
The Triangular Trade was developed due to mercantilism, and it was a system of exchange of goods and enslaved people between Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The Americas would send raw materials to Europe and Africa, then Europe would supply Africa and America with finished goods, and Africa would send slaves to the Americas.
An example of the exchange includes:
The Americas send sugar, tobacco, and cotton to Europe, Europe sends textiles, rum, and manufactured goods to Africa, and Africa sends captured slaves to the Americas through what became known as the Middle Passage.
Describe Mercantilism
Mercantilism was an economic theory that was used by most European countries. It believed in the idea that gold and silver were limited in the world and the more gold you would accumulate, the more power you would have. So in order to have more gold, you would need to export more goods than you import. So as a result, Europeans would try to sell as much as possible while buying very little.
Europeans also used this as a justification for acquiring colonies and used colonies as a market for their goods.
What was the Middle Passage?
The Middle Passage was the forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic Ocean into the New World. It was one part of the triangular trade. The conditions were devasting. Africans were packed together tightly without space to move. The travel was for around 80 days and 15% died due to diseases and harsh conditions.
Describe the fur trade and its effects.
The fur trade was between Native Americans and Europeans, primarily the French. Europeans traded items like metals to the Natives for beaver pelts in return. It caused massive environmental damage as the slaughtering of beavers ruined lakes and wetland environments that they maintained. It also led to wars between Natives to control trade with Europeans.
What were the Beaver Wars?
The Beaver Wars were when the Iroquois Confederacy repeatedly fought with neighboring tribes to gain control of the fur trade with Europeans.
Describe the Navigation Acts
The Navigation Acts were a series of laws passed by the British Parliament to promote the self-sufficiency of the British Empire by forcing colonists to trade only with England, and decrease dependence on foreign imported goods. These laws were not always strictly enforced and caused some colonists to smuggle products. As a result, it led to a period of “salutary neglect.”
Explain salutary neglect
Salutary Neglect was Britain’s unofficial policy, initiated by prime minister Robert Walpole, to relax the enforcement of strict regulations, particularly trade laws, so they could focus on European politics.
This would be important when Britain would try to enforce these measures in a period known as “salutary rigor” and it would lead to conflicts between Colonists and Britain.
