Shipping was the backbone of colonial economies. It is the foundation of international trade and commerce that influences global economies today.
Credit: Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Grade 4, Grades 6–8
Today, goods are transported by trucks, trains, ships, and planes. Multiple modes of transport are used to export and import goods from one place to another and from country to country. During the Colonial Era, most goods were transported on ships. Water transportation was preferred because it was faster, and roads during this time period were rough terrain. The colonial economy depended on international trade.
In this lesson, students will learn more about the life of a sailor and shipping during the colonial era.
Teacher's Guide and Related Standards
Students will be able to interpret and explain the historical significance of trade and shipping during the Colonial Era.
Triangular Trade
In the 1500s, Triangular Trade was established to move raw and manufactured goods, and slave labor between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. What goods did the Americas, Europe, and Africa provide to each other? Watch the video to learn more.
Transatlantic Slave Trade
The first stage of Triangular Trade began in Europe. European goods were loaded onto ships bound for ports on the African coast in exchange for enslaved people. In Africa, Europeans captured people and forced them to endure a brutal 5000-mile voyage to the Americas known as the Middle Passage. Enslaved Africans were transported to the Americas, sold, and were not paid for their work or treated humanely. This was the birth of the Transatlantic Slave Trade or the second phase of Triangular Trade. Why did Europeans enslave people and ship them to the Americas? Visit the Atlantic Slave Trade - Students | Brittanica Kids website to learn more about slave labor between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
Maryland’s Dove
The Dove was a sister ship to the Ark. They both set sail from England on a grueling 3000-mile journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Aboard, 140 passengers were waiting for a new life in an unknown world. Who were they and what was the journey like? Read the lesson to learn more about the history of Maryland and its two ships the Ark and Dove.
This learning resource is a production of Maryland Public Television/Thinkport.