Mercantilism and the Navigation Acts

8/31 Lesson

by Peter Way

​Mercantilism

​The Economic policy that a nation can gain power at the expense of other countries by increasing its exports and minimizing their imports.

​

​exports - goods sold to other nations

​imports - goods bought from other nations

Multiple Choice

How come England did not need to depend on other countries for resources?

• Because England is the best land on earth and has everything they need

• Because they colonized other countries and used those land to give themselves resources

• Because they threatened other nations with nuclear weapons

• Because they found magic soil that would grow anything they needed

​Mercantilism

​European countries gained power by selling their resources to other countries without needing to depend on other countries for other resources.

​

​Mercantilism

​European countries gained power by selling their resources to other countries without needing to depend on other countries for other resources.

​

​They used their colonies to gain more resources.

​Mercantilism

In order to control trade in the colonies, England passed several Navigation Acts so that the colonists would only sell in a way that would be most beneficial to England.

Multiple Choice

True or false: Mercantilism is beneficial for one country, but harmful to another.

• True

• False

The Navigation Acts

​The Navigation Acts were laws passed by England that restricted trade in the colonies.

​

The acts did different things: they

​forced the colonies to use English

​ships; they forced the colonies to

​sell to England rather than other

​countries; they could only sell

​certain items

The Navigation Acts

​The Navigation Acts started to make the colonists unsatisfied with England and they started to feel like they were not

​being treated fairly.

Multiple Choice

What is one restriction that the Navigation Acts caused for the Colonies?

• Forced the colonies to use English ships

• Allowed Pirates to steal from Colonists

• Permitted Colonists to use new navigation tech

​The French and Indian War

• ​Slowly by slowly, the colonists in America became less happy with England

• ​Most of them were still very loyal to England and proud to be "Englishmen"​

​The French and Indian War

• ​Slowly by slowly, the colonists in America became less happy with England

• ​Most of them were still very loyal to England and proud to be "Englishmen"​

• ​Slowly by slowly, the colonists started thinking of themselves as their own people

​The French and Indian War

Then the French and Indian War happened...

​

​The French had claimed the land West and North of the 13 Colonies

​

​But they started to trespass into English territory

​The French and Indian War

It is called the French and Indian War because the French and Indians had an alliance against England and the 13 Colonies.

​The French and Indian War

It is called the French and Indian War because the French and Indians had an alliance against England and the 13 Colonies.

​

​

​The Native Americans had better relationships with the French than the English

​The French and Indian War

George Washington accidentally sparked the war...

​

​In America it was called "The French and Indian War." In Europe, it was called "The Seven Years War

Multiple Choice

Who generally had better relations with the Native Americans?

• The French

• The Spanish

• The English

​The French and Indian War

​The French and Indian War

The Results...

​

​England and the 13 Colonies technically defeated the French and their Native American allies

​

​BUT, both sides had heavy losses. England got into a lot of debt.

​The French and Indian War

Two important things to remember about the French and Indian War.

​

​1. France lost most of its North America land to England

​

​2. American colonists were not allowed to settle West of the Proclamation Line (along the Appalachian Mountains)

Multiple Choice

Who accidentally sparked the French and Indian War?

• Alexander Hamilton

• Christopher Columbus

• George Washington

• Chief Pontiac

Multiple Choice

Who won the French and Indian War?

• England and the 13 Colonies

• The French and Native Americans

• The Germans

• The Iroquois Confederation

Fill in the Blank

______ lost most of its North America land to _______.