Colonization & Mercantilism

​Colonization & Mercantilism

By Meredith EastWakeMS

Open Ended

The Source: Olaudah Equiano (The Middle Passage, 1789)

"The closeness of the place, and the heat of the climate, added to the number in the ship, which was so crowded that each had scarcely room to turn himself, almost suffocated us. The shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole a scene of horror almost inconceivable."

According to Equiano, what were the two main causes of the "suffocation" and "horror" on the ship?

Colonial Patterns

Spain: "Encomienda" system (forced labor) and mining for silver/gold.

France: Focused on the fur trade; generally maintained better relations with Native tribes.

Britain: Focused on permanent family settlements and cash crops (tobacco).

Multiple Choice

Which European power primarily established permanent family settlements and grew cash crops like tobacco?

• Spain

• France

• Britain

• Portugal

Mercantilism

An economic theory where a country’s power depended on its wealth.

Colonies were forced to send raw materials (wood, cotton) to the mother country.

The mother country sold finished goods back to the colonies.

Multiple Choice

Under the system of mercantilism, what was the "Mother Country’s" main goal?

• To help colonies become independent and wealthy.

• To encourage colonies to trade with any country they wanted.

• To gain wealth by taking raw materials from colonies and selling back finished goods.

• To move all of its citizens into the colonies to live.

​The Middle Passage

Part of the "Triangular Trade."

The forced voyage of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic to the Americas.

Characterized by inhumane conditions and high mortality rates.

Multiple Choice

The Middle Passage was the leg of the Triangular Trade that transported which "cargo"?

• Finished goods (like guns and cloth) from Europe to Africa.

• Sugar and molasses from the Americas to Europe.

• Enslaved Africans from Africa to the Americas.

• Fur and timber from the Americas to Africa.

Multiple Choice

From the perspective of a European monarch, what was the biggest benefit of Mercantilism?

• It improved the living conditions of the enslaved population.

• It allowed for peaceful cooperation between all European nations.

• It increased the country’s gold reserves and provided a guaranteed market for its manufactured goods.

• It encouraged the colonies to start their own competing factories.

Multiple Choice

What made the Middle Passage one of the most tragic aspects of this era?

• The ships were often delayed by lack of wind.

• The sailors did not have accurate maps of the Atlantic.

• It involved the forced kidnapping of millions of people who faced inhumane conditions and high death rates.

• It was too expensive for most European companies to afford.