AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: Triangular Trade & Transatlantic Exchanges (Day 32/309)

Welcome to today’s explanation of Triangular Trade & Transatlantic Exchanges in my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

European Colonization of North America, 1750 World History Encyclopedia

With the development of permanent European colonies in the Americas, a complex system of trade routes, known as Triangular Trade, developed.

Triangular Trade, Howell World History

Merchant ships would often follow a three-part trade route. For example, a ship in North America may bring rum to Africa, which would be traded for captive Africans. The Middle Passage would bring enslaved Africans to the West Indies and traded for sugarcane. The ship would return to North America where sugar would be used to make rum.

Triangular Trade, Britannica

American colonies primarily exported commodities valued in Europe such as tobacco or lumber. European countries typically traded finished manufactured goods. Africans mainly traded enslaved persons as sources of labor for the Americas.

Selling Arms to the Indians, HistoryFiles

Transatlantic exchanges had significant impacts on many countries and groups, including American Indian communities. The exchange of goods, such as firearms and alcohol, as well as diseases, caused radical demographic shifts. 

Triangular trade was a complex set of trade routes that involved Europe, Africa, and the Americas and played a huge role in shaping the economic development of the regions.

Join me tomorrow as I explain Anglicization in our next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!