New World Trading Systems: Triangular Trade

One of the two New World trading systems was the triangular trade. The triangular trade had three parts (legs) to it. The first leg included a route from Europe to Africa. These ships normally carried horses and European manufactured goods. For example; cloths and metal wares. When they arrived in Sub-Saharan Africa they exchanged these goods for slaves. One main reason why Africans would trade was for the gain of weapons. In the second leg of the trip the Europeans took enslaved Africans to the Caribbean and the Americas. They then exchanged these slaves for two to three times the amount the slaves were sold for in Africa. Sometimes, instead of cash, they traded for sugar and molasses; which were high in demand. However, much more was exchanged in the Triangular Trade. Cultures, religions, and farming techniques were among the things traded. In a way, the Triangular Trade affected all three of the continents. Two-thirds of all slaves were male, between 14-35. This would’ve caused major loss of labor for agricultural production or any other things males were needed for in Sub-Saharan Africa, affecting the economy of the areas that had lost male labor. In Europe they received sugar, molasses, fur, and other raw materials which they turned into finished products. This, in turn, affected the America’s. The American’s, selling the raw material, gained the money from the trades. This trade network continued until 1867, when slavery had been abolished. All in all, the triangular trade stimulated commerce in the eastern hemisphere. Another part of the New World trade systems was the Indian Ocean basin trade routes. Trade routes between England and India made up the Indian Ocean trade routes. The English set up trading posts around the Indian coasts. They mainly focused on Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta. These trading posts affected not only the economy of England, but also of the cities the ports were in. The English formed a very powerful joint-stock company; the