Mercantilism: colonies supplying raw materials to the home country

Grade 7 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   The Navigation Acts (cards A to D; summaries in our words). Card A, the rules: acts of 1651 and 1660, tightened in 1663, 1673 and 1696, said that goods moving between England and its colonies had to travel on English ships with mostly English crews. Foreign ships could not carry goods from America, Asia or Africa to England or its colonies, and the colonies could not trade with other nations. The acts were repealed in 1849. Card B, the Molasses Act of 1733: it set a tax on molasses brought into the colonies from non-British colonies. After 1733 many colonial traders smuggled. Card C, a historians' summary: English shipowners and merchants gained protected business. Dutch shipping, which had carried much of Europe's trade, lost business. Colonial traders could buy and sell only inside the English system. Card D, a debate: historians disagree about how heavy the burden on the colonies was. Trade and population in the colonies grew quickly in the 1700s.

2. 1.

   The acts ran from 1651 to 1849 (card A), and the Molasses Act came in 1733 (card B). About what percent of the acts' years had passed by 1733, Luz asks?

   • About 4 percent, since 82 out of 198 years is about 0.04 of the total
   • About 41 percent, since 82 of the 198 years had passed by 1733
   • About 59 percent, the share of the acts' years still to come after 1733
   • About 82 percent, since 82 years had passed by 1733
3. 2.

   Using card C, which pair of groups shows who gained and who lost under the acts, Milo asks?

   • English merchants gained and the colonies gained equally, since both belonged to England
   • English shipowners gained protected business, while Dutch shipping lost business
   • Colonial traders gained the right to trade with any nation, while English merchants lost
   • Dutch shipping gained protected business, while English shipowners lost business
4. 3.

   A student writes, "The Navigation Acts ruined the colonies." Which card most directly challenges that, Pia asks?

   • Card A, which lists the dates when the acts were passed and tightened over the years
   • Card B, which says traders smuggled, so the acts must have ended trade in the colonies
   • Card C, which says the colonies lost out, so the acts must have ruined them completely
   • Card D, where colonial trade and population grew quickly and the burden is debated
5. 4.

   Card A summarizes laws passed by England's Parliament. What does that tell Ren about the source?

   • The acts show how each trader lived in the colonies, since laws record real behavior
   • The acts are a modern summary of the colonies' trade, written by later historians
   • The acts are worthless as evidence, since laws are written by one side
   • The acts show England's rules and aims, but not how traders lived with them
6. 5.

   Card B says many colonial traders smuggled after 1733. What does that show about using the acts as a record of colonial trade, Tala asks?

   • Traders obeyed the acts closely, since smuggling would have been pointless for them
   • The acts are worthless as evidence, since smuggling is a crime and crimes leave no record
   • Some traders worked around the rules, so the laws alone do not show how trade worked
   • The acts were not enforced anywhere, so they had no effect on colonial trade
7. 6.

   Card A says the acts were tightened in 1663, 1673 and 1696. How many times as long was the gap from 1673 to 1696 as the gap from 1663 to 1673, Zee asks?

   • About 0.4 times as long, since 10 divided by 23 is about 0.4
   • 13 times as long, since 23 minus 10 is 13
   • About 3 times as long, since 1696 minus 1663 is 33 and 33 divided by 10 is about 3
   • More than 2 times as long, since 23 years divided by 10 years is 2.3
8. 7.

   Card C says Dutch shipping carried much of Europe's trade. What was the likely aim of the rule that foreign ships could not carry goods to the colonies, Ari asks?

   • To move carrying business from English ships to Dutch ships, which were cheaper
   • To raise taxes on molasses, since the rule on carriers was a tax law
   • To let colonial traders pick any carrier, since the rule opened up the trade
   • To move carrying business from Dutch ships over to English ships and English crews
9. 8.

   Which statement best shows how a colonial trader may have seen the acts, Bo asks?

   • The rules let colonial traders sell to any nation, so they had no reason to complain
   • The rules helped colonial traders most, since English ships carried their goods
   • The rules limited whom he could buy from and sell to, so he may have smuggled
   • The rules mattered little, since colonial traders mostly farmed and did not trade
10. 9.

    Which new source would best test how heavy the burden on colonists was, Esme asks?

    • Colonial merchants' account books showing prices paid and received before and after
    • A map of the Atlantic that shows where English ships sailed in the year 1700 and later
    • A copy of the acts that lists the dates they were passed and tightened over many years
    • A modern book that repeats card D's sentence about the debate in new words
11. 10.

    Card A says the acts were passed in 1651 and 1660 and tightened up to 1696. What does that suggest about the policy, Jun asks?

    • England wrote the rules once in 1651, and they stayed the same until 1849
    • The acts were tightened for 198 years, so each year brought a new rule
    • England removed rules over about 45 years and then ended the system in 1696 for good
    • England added rules over about 45 years and then kept the system until 1849