Even though New England colonists typically did not have many slaves, they still benefitted from the system shown by this map. Using details from this map and Unit 2, explain why this was the case. (4 points)
Sorry, I would help, butt I'm not really good at math :(
Unfortunately, without access to the specific map and Unit 2 that you're mentioning, I can't comment on the exact details they provide. However, I can offer a general explanation consistent with the historical context of New England and the broader transatlantic trade system, which may align with the details depicted on your map.
The New England colonies, while they did not have a large number of slaves compared to the Southern colonies, were deeply engrained in the triangular trade system that was central to the Atlantic economy in the 17th and 18th centuries. This triangular trade involved the exchange of goods and enslaved Africans between Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
1. **Shipping and Trade**: New England was a hub for shipbuilding and the shipping industry. Ships constructed in New England ports were often used in the transatlantic trade, including the transport of enslaved people. Furthermore, New England merchants and traders profited by participating in the trade of goods such as rum, which was in part produced from sugarcane harvested by slaves in the Caribbean.
2. **Economic Benefits**: The triangular trade system was beneficial to the New England economy. The region's merchants capitalized on the trade of enslaved people to the Southern colonies and the Caribbean, where they worked in labor-intensive agricultural sectors such as tobacco, sugar, and cotton plantations.
3. **Manufactured Goods**: New England also benefitted by producing goods that were either traded in Africa for slaves or used to buy crops cultivated by enslaved workers in the South and the Caribbean. These included barrels, tools, textiles, and other equipment essential for plantation economies.
4. **Indirect Benefits**: Even if New Englanders weren't directly engaged in the slave trade, they indirectly benefitted from the system. The local economy was bolstered by a wider Atlantic world economy enriched by slave labor. Products such as sugar and cotton, produced cheaply by enslaved labor, were imported to New England, contributing to the colonial lifestyle and economy.
The interconnected economies of the colonial era meant that even those regions that did not directly exploit large numbers of slaves were still part of a larger system that depended on the forced labor and dehumanization of African peoples. Profits generated by this system would have contributed to the growth and development of New England's economy, hence its benefit to the colonists even in the absence of a large number of slaves.