| Economics of the Early United States |
| Economics in the Colonial Era |
| | Economic Activities in the 13 Colonies
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| | A great overview of economic systems in the New England and Middle Colonies. |
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| | History of Money in the USA
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| | A great site from ThinkQuest that helps kids explore money throughout US history. |
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| | Life in the British Colonies - Cities
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| | A great overview of early American cities, and their trade relationships with Britain. |
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| | Colonial Mercantilism
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| | Even before the first boatload of Englishmen landed at Jamestown, Virginia, European countries had experimented with empire-building, engaging in the system of mercantilism. Although it was never a cohesive system, and changed from nation to nation, its variations had similar characteristics and, most important, a shared economic philosophy. Learn more about mercantilism at this great site! |
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| | British Domination Through Trade Laws
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| | In order to make sure that Britain had more money coming in than going out of the country, Britain passed laws that set limits on business and trade. Learn about Mercantilism and Trade Laws at this great site! |
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| | Outline of the Colonial Economy
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| | A great overview of the economic state of America in the pre-revolutionary era. |
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| | Mercantilism
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| | Between 1600 and 1800 most of the states of western Europe were heavily influenced by a policy usually known as mercantilism. This was essentially an effort to achieve economic unity and political control. No general definition of mercantilism is entirely satisfactory, but it may be thought of as a collection of policies designed to keep the state prosperous by economic regulation. |
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| | Colonial Trades
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| | Learn about the jobs held by many people during the Colonial era! |
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| | Colonial Currency
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| | Check out pictures of coins and paper money used in Colonial America, and read some great articles on how money was introduced into American society! |
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| | Captive Passage
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| | Between 1441 and 1888, Europeans and their descendants in the Americas enslaved many millions of Africans. Torn from their homeland, men, women, and children were shipped to the Americas and forced into slavery. This exhibition examines the transatlantic slave trade and seeks to increase understanding of this maritime epic and its legacies in the modern world. |
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| | Overseas Trade in the Colonial Era
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| | The American colonies participated in a dense network of overseas trade with the West Indies, Africa, in Europe, as well as in a lucrative intercolonial coastal trade. Learn more about colonial trade with this interactive map! |
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| Economics in the Revolutionary Era |
| | History of Money in the USA
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| | A great site from ThinkQuest that helps kids explore money throughout US history. |
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| | Money in North American History
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| | This online essay answers the question: "How did the United States develop into the world's richest and most powerful nation from an inauspicious beginning as a collection of colonies where currency was in such chronically short supply that all sorts of substitutes, e.g. tobacco and wampum, had to be used as money?" This site probably requires teacher guidance for most students, but is very informative! |
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| | Colonial Currency
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| | Check out pictures of coins and paper money used in Colonial America, and read some great articles on how money was introduced into American society! |
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| Economics in the Post-Revolutionary Era |
| | Economy of the New Nation
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| | A great overview of the economy in the post-revolutionary era. |
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| | The Roots of American Economic Growth
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| | An incredible overview of the American economy 1820-1860. |
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| | History of Money in the USA
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| | A great site from ThinkQuest that helps kids explore money throughout US history. |
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| | Development of the U.S. Economy
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| | A tremendous overview of the developing economy in the U.S. post-revolutionary era. |
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| | Politics & Economy - 1789-1801
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| | An informative outline, chronicling the relationship of political and economic change in America! |
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| | Tariff of 1824
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| | A nice overview of the main features of the Tariff Act of 1824. |
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| | The Panic of 1837
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| | Recessions, like wars, have been an integral part of United States history. Shortly after our War of Independence, the nation witnessed the first in a series of depressions -- in 1837, however, the young nation endured its most serious depression yet.
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| | Mountain Men and the Fur Trade
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| | An extensive resource on the socio-economic impact of the fur trade in America. |
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| | Britain - Trade & Empire
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| | Five interactive online activities about Britain 1750-1900, including: Imports/Exports, Safe Passage in Dangerous Waters, What's my role? The Opium War of 1842, Understanding the Slave Trade System
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| | Steam Engine Library
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| | A comprehensive collection on the history of the Steam Engine! |
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| | Robert Fulton - Steam Engines
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| | A biography of the inventor with an analysis of the social/economic impact of his inventions. Includes sections on: Old Legents - Steam in Earlier Times - James Watt, Early Experiments in Steam-Navigation, Robert Fultons Early Life, The Artist as Engineer, The Engineer, as Inventor, in Submarine Warfare, Fultons Experiments with Steam - The "Clermont", River and Ocean Steam-Fleets, Ocean Steamers - The Outlook.
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| | Eli Whitney.org
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| | A great look at the inventor of the cotton gin, and how that invention transformed American industry. |
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| | Eli Whitney
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| | Biography of the inventor of the Cotton Gin. |
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| | The Southern Economy : 1840s
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| | A nice overview of the major economic issues in the American South prior to the Civil War. |
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| | History of the First Locomotives in America
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| | Full Text online! |
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| | Interactive Map: Cotton Production in the South
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| | A great map that demonstrates the expansion of US cotton production from 1790-1850. Click anywhere on the map to start the show! |
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| | Lowell Mill Girls
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| | A look at some of those who worked in the mills of Lowell, MA. From the site: "In her autobiography, Harriet Hanson Robinson, the wife of a newspaper editor, provided an account of her earlier life as female factory worker (from the age of ten in 1834 to 1848) in the textile Mills of Lowell, Massachusetts. Her account explains some of the family dynamics involved, and lets us see the women as active participants in their own lives - for instance in their strike of 1836." |
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| | Embargo Act Commentary
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| | Congress passed the Embargo Act in December of 1807 to restrict trading with European nations during the Napoleonic Wars. President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of State James Madison, leaders of the Democratic-Republican party, pushed for this measure despite objections from the Federalist Party.
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| Economics in the Civil War and Reconstruction |
| | History of Money in the USA
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| | A great site from ThinkQuest that helps kids explore money throughout US history. |
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| | The Homestead Act
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| | Passed in 1862 and 1864, the Homestead Act resulted in a significant shift in population from eastern states to the Missouri region. In order to be eligible for 160 acres of free land, one had to be the head of a family, at least 21 years of age, a citizen, or expect to become one, and not have taken arms against the Union. |
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| | Forty Acres and a Mule
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| | An overview of U.S. policy on land grants for freedmen following the Civil War. |
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