Colonial Trade with England and Africa — Reading Comprehension

The American colonies traded with England and Africa in the 1700s. This trade was called the triangular trade because it formed a triangle on the map.

The first side of this trade began in the colonies. Farmers grew crops like tobacco and rice. Workers made things like lumber and iron. These goods were sent to England in large ships.

In England, factories used these materials to make clothes, tools, and other products. English merchants then sent these goods to Africa. There, traders exchanged them for people who had been taken from their homes. These people were forced to become enslaved workers.

The second side of the triangle took enslaved people across the Atlantic Ocean. This trip was called the Middle Passage. Conditions were harsh. Many people did not survive the journey.

On the third side, ships carried enslaved people to the colonies. Traders sold them to work on farms and in homes. The ships returned to England filled with crops and goods from the colonies. Each part of the triangle depended on the other parts.

This trade made some colonists and English merchants very rich. But it also caused suffering and loss for many African people. Some colonists spoke out, saying, "All men are created equal." Others fought for change.

The triangular trade shaped the economy and culture of the colonies. It linked three continents and changed millions of lives.

Interesting Fact: Some colonial towns grew into busy ports because of trade, like Boston and Charleston.

What is the triangular trade?

Which crops did colonists grow?

What was the Middle Passage?

Why did trade form a triangle?

How did trade affect colonial towns?

Who became rich from trade?

Some ships carried enslaved people. True or false?

What does "ports" mean?