Question

How did the rise of the south atlantic system impact economic development in the northern colonies?

Answer 1

The rise of the South Atlantic system, incorporating the Trans-Atlantic slave trade and mercantilism, significantly impacted the northern colonies by fostering their economic growth through triangular trade and by tying them closer to the British economy. The wealth generated by this system led to the development of a class hierarchy and a political ruling class that played a role in the drive toward American independence.

Step-by-step explanation:

The rise of the South Atlantic system had significant impacts on the economic development of the northern colonies. This system largely revolved around the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, mercantilism, and the triangular trade, which all together enhanced the economic growth within these colonies.

With the institution of racial slavery becoming heavily entrenched in the southern economies, it laid a foundation for a prosperous plantation system—especially in the Chesapeake and Low Country colonies. This, in turn, resulted in economic benefits for the northern colonies, which involved in the processing and shipping of goods, as well as the provision of supplies and slaves to the plantation economies. The mercantilist economy bolstered the ties between the colonies and the British motherland, with the Navigation Acts ensuring that beneficial trade relations were maintained and that raw materials from the colonies were exchanged for British-manufactured goods.

This system of trade and colonial exploitation facilitated the flow of wealth but also contributed to a stark differentiation in class and race - with wealthy plantation owners and merchants at the top, and enslaved Africans and wage laborers at the bottom. As wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, it built a political ruling class that ultimately influenced the sentiments leading to the American Revolution. The colonies' strife against British policy began to mirror the struggle for liberty and freedom, which was ironically upheld by a society that heavily relied on slave labor.

Answer 2

Answer: This system impacted development in the British colonies because it connected America better to other countries and it increased their economies.

Explanation: The northern colonies provided the sugar plantations in the south with bread, lumber, fish, and meat. In return, the south traded their sugar to the north. The South Atlantic System, AKA the Triangle Trade, helped to create an interconnected Atlantic World because goods, ideas, and people were transferred between the continents. This system impacted development in the British colonies because it connected America better to other countries and it increased their economies.