Question

ushc.1.co — colonial development and regional differences
key terms — define each
mercantilism:
_____________________________
triangular trade:
_____________________________
cash crops:
_____________________________
subsistence farming:
_____________________________
indentured servitude:
_____________________________
slavery:
_____________________________
reading

Explanation:

• Mercantilism: An economic policy where a nation aims to increase wealth (via gold/silver) by promoting exports, limiting imports, and establishing colonies to supply raw materials and buy finished goods.
• Triangular Trade: A trans - Atlantic trade network. Europe sent goods to Africa, Africa sent enslaved people to the Americas, and the Americas sent raw materials (like sugar, tobacco) to Europe, forming a triangle.
• Cash Crops: Crops grown not for personal use but for sale/profit (e.g., tobacco, cotton, indigo in colonial America).
• Subsistence Farming: Farming where crops are grown mainly to feed the farmer's family, with little surplus for sale or trade.
• Indentured Servitude: A system where people (often Europeans) signed a contract (indenture) to work for a set period (usually years) in exchange for passage to a new land, food, shelter, and sometimes land at the end of the term.
• Slavery: The practice of owning people as property, forcing them to work without consent or pay, treating them as chattel (e.g., enslaved Africans in the Americas were bought, sold, and forced to labor).

Answer:

• Mercantilism: An economic system where a country seeks to accumulate wealth (especially precious metals) by promoting exports, restricting imports, and using colonies to supply raw materials and market finished goods.
• Triangular Trade: A three - part trans - Atlantic trade route: Europe to Africa (goods), Africa to Americas (enslaved people), Americas to Europe (raw materials like sugar, tobacco), forming a triangular pattern.
• Cash Crops: Agricultural crops grown primarily for sale and profit rather than for personal consumption (e.g., tobacco, cotton in colonial America).
• Subsistence Farming: Farming in which the crops produced are mainly used to feed the farmer's family, with little or no surplus for sale or trade.
• Indentured Servitude: A labor system where individuals (often from Europe) agreed to work for a fixed period (usually several years) in exchange for passage to a new region, along with food, shelter, and sometimes land or other benefits at the end of their service.
• Slavery: The institution of owning human beings as property, who are forced to work without compensation, have no legal rights, and can be bought, sold, or inherited.