The exchange of goods and services between American merchants and foreign countries or colonies during colonial times.
Related terms
Mercantilism: An economic theory prevalent in colonial times that emphasized creating wealth through exporting more than importing.
Triangular Trade: A system where raw materials were sent from America to Europe, manufactured into finished goods, then traded for enslaved Africans who were brought back to America.
Embargo Act of 1807: A law passed by President Jefferson that prohibited all American exports in response to restrictions imposed on American trade by France and Britain.