Chapter 5.1
The Mercantile System: How Colonial Trade Built European Empires
Discover how European powers used the mercantile system to control colonial economies, restrict manufacturing, and accumulate national wealth through carefully regulated trade.
What You'll Learn
Mercantilism required colonies to export raw materials to mother countries.
Navigation Acts forced colonies to use only the mother country's ships.
Manufacturing restrictions kept colonies dependent on expensive finished goods.
Smuggling and colonial frustration grew from strict mercantile trade controls.
What You'll Practice
1
Students analyze how mercantile policies controlled specific colonial industries.
2
Learners identify key vocabulary including Navigation Acts and enumerated goods.
3
Questions explore how mercantilism transferred wealth from colonies to England.
Why This Matters
Understanding the mercantile system reveals how economic policies shaped colonial history and directly contributed to the American Revolution, making it essential for analyzing the relationship between trade, power, and political independence.
This Unit Includes
Practice exercises
Learning resources
Skills
Mercantilism
Navigation Acts
Colonial Trade
Balance of Trade
Raw Materials
OH Curriculum Aligned
