True History - Veritas Card #15 (Red Card) - Colonial Trading With England

Colonial Trading With England - c. 1750

   The colonies had an economic system that they used which worked very well. They would trade and sell items to each other. But the 13 Colonies still needed to make money. The way they would do this was through a system called 'Mercantilism' which meant that they would ultimately be involved in selling to a 'mother country' which in this case was England. England also provided charters for the colonies. The colonies were still, in a big sense, under England's rule. The colonies were able to sell items like tobacco, cotton, indigo, and wood products. There were products produced in England that the colonies were unable to make for themselves, such as some clothing items, tea, dishes, and fine tools.
   But problems broke out between England and France because both countries wanted to be the 'mother country' that the colonies would buy from. England had the upper hand and increased its control over this once the French and Indian Wars were over. This also made it harder for the colonies to prosper and make money.