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[ musical flourish ]

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And here's your Shmoop du jour, brought to you by the Navigation Acts,

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the core principles of sailor's ed.

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All right, check out this excerpt.

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[ mumbles ]

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All right, and the question:

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Prior to the passage of the Navigation Acts,

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how did the Atlantic exchange impact the colonies?

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And here are your potential answers.

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Colonists were really sailing along thanks to

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the Atlantic exchange of goods, but the Navigation Acts

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charted a whole new financial course

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for colonial merchants. Prior to the passage

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of these acts, did the Atlantic exchange impact the colonies

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because A - it encouraged the use of indentured servants?

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Well, actually, the Atlantic exchange opened up

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the African slave trade, reducing dependence on

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indentured servants. That pushes A off the map.

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Did the Atlantic exchange affect the colonies because

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B - it allowed easy access to goods from Asian trade markets?

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Well, the Atlantic exchange didn't quite make it to Asian markets.

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But it did open up trade throughout Europe and Africa,

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allowing all kinds of resources to flow between cultures.

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So that's an embargo on B and C, good-bye.

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Which means the Atlantic exchange impacted the colonies because

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D - it stimulated economic growth and changed labor systems.

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These trade routes really juiced local economies by

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opening up new labor markets.That is, until the Navigation Acts

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came along and started cramping their style.

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So D is the correct answer.

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The Navigation Acts were the first of many restrictive laws

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that steered colonists toward independence.

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And once that ship had sailed, well, it was all but sink or swim.

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[ bird calls ]

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