Impact of the Development of Trade

Nina Lin

Honors U.S. History

Ms.Guidara

2 November 2016

The Impact of the Development of Trade

        United States declared its independence in 1776, which identified the thirteen colonies as independent sovereign states. Even though the United States began to develop and establish its independence during the Revolutionary time period, many problems such as economic depression affected the property of the nation. Instead, the development of trade over the time period from colonial America to early republic helped America to prosper. Commerce was a crucial factor for the early development of the U.S. To determine whether a country was prosperous or not, how trade system worked was most likely the dependent variable.

        To begin with, trade was the foundation of early American economy. Each of the thirteen colonies have specific advantages and disadvantages based on their locations, types of soil and the climate. In order to trade successfully, the environment that created the best conditions for the crops helped to cultivate and expand on quantities. Additionally, the sale of tobacco serves as an example that colony benefited from the location and able to prosper by using this advantage. As the tobacco was introduced to Europe, it became popular among several different areas.  A large amount of seed was transported to Jamestown which allowed for enormous expansion on the cultivation of tobacco. “By 1630, over a million and a half pounds of tobacco were being exported from Jamestown every year” —an evidence of how tobacco serve as a profitable product (Us.History, 2016). The society and development of colony began to be organized and improved gradually by the profits tobacco economy made. Moreover, three growing seasons could be planned on a plot of land on account of tobacco’s characteristics that it drained the soil of its nutrients. This indicates that the requirements for the soil was qualified, and Jamestown offers this environment. Nevertheless, due to the high demands of tobacco, the more labors needed for cultivating these crops and processing them. Indentured servants were widely used to meet the need of labor. This system encouraged many slaves to sign the contract as the wealthy landowner provide them food, protections, clothes or even land in return for laboring. However, indentured servants had to work in fields for seven to eight years without freedom. On the other hand, this was a efficient way that supply enough labor for the tobacco production. (Trade in Colonies)

        Secondly, the issuing of acts in the beginning of 1650s helped to control trade within the United States. Parliament required that certain enumerated commodities be shipped only to England, on English ships with British crews (Smith, 353). Although the restrictions may affected some of the commercial enterprises, colonists now had a guaranteed market for their exports. Based on the investigation that found in the Encyclopedia of American history, “By the mid-18th century nearly one-third of all British ships were American made” (Smith, 356). This quote shows that the shipping industry also gained benefits from this act. Furs, naval store, tobacco, rice and indigo were the major natural resources shipped from America to England that is transatlantic trade. The trade routes lead to a increase of slave trade. According to Encyclopedia of American history, the data presents that “Between 1619 and 1760 approximately 400,000 slaves were brought to the thirteen colonies” (Smith, 356). The slavery allows the development of internal trade networks. Since the more grains and fresh vegetables were sold and planted. Southern colonies transported these raw materials to North and exchanged for meat and grain. To sum up, the high quality and large in quantity of raw materials each places have had affected dramatically on American economy  (Us.History, 2016).

        In addition, the increase in production eventually gave a stable trading system that make a consistent income for the country. Rum trade brought up the plantation system and entailed the transport of African slaves to America. Furthermore, the price of Rum decreased because of the productive quantities of sugar increased rapidly, causes the price of  sugar and rum to decrease. Rum soon became the most popular drink in the United States especially the lower classes. Besides, one of the most influential trade system called Triangle trade also involved the rum trade. The New England purchased the  molasses and exchanged with slaves . The rum trade demonstrates the Native Americans’ ability to find a way around the Navigation Act which is to smuggle, trading illegally with French, Dutch, and Spanish (Smith, 353). The Navigation act was designed to collect taxes on the native americans as they counted as the English colonies. The purpose of the Navigation Act was to restrict the shipping so that they could control the sources to only exchanged with the products in the Great Britain. Nevertheless, the rum trade provoked a new way to trade that ignored the Navigation Act which helped them make as much as profits they could gain. (Smith, 353)