Mercantilism
Simulation Game
Review of Trade
• What is mercantilism?
• What is capitalism, or
free trade/market?
Mercantilism Game
• Toothpicks = Gold Bars
• Britain: Manufactured
Goods
Dum-Dums(10)
– Colonies: Raw Materials (
fish & lumber; wheat;
tobacco, rice, indigo, cotton)
• New England Peppermints(15)
• Middle - Starburst (25)
• Southern -Tootsie Rolls (15)
• Spain: Manufactured Goods
– Dum Dums(10)
• The Netherlands: finished
products
– Dum Dums (10)
Your Task
• Your goal is to
acquire as
much gold as
possible by
trading and
selling your
goods
Rules of Trades
• Colonies (N.E., Middle, Southern) can only trade
with Euro countries (England, Spain,
Netherlands)
• Euro countries can only trade with colonies
– Countries cannot trade with each other
• 2 colonial raw materials can be traded to Europe
for 1 finished product OR can be sold for 1 gold
bar
• 1 finished product can be traded to the Colonies
for 2 raw materials OR can be sold for 2 gold bars
• AFTER TRADING--trade your products to the
“BANK” (Mr. Morton) for gold bars until the BANK
runs out of gold
Round 1
• Begin trading for gold
• During Round 1, colonies can trade with
ANY European country
• You have 5 minutes for trading
Who Won?
• Meet with your group. Count
the gold acquired by all
members.
• Who won? A colonial region
or European country? Why?
But Remember…
• Mercantilism limited colonial trade with
other European countries.
• During Round 2:
– Spain & The Netherlands must pay 1 gold
bar to England to trade with the colonies
– Colonies must pay 1 gold bar to England to
trade with Spain & The Netherlands
Round 2
• Rules from Round 1 apply
– colonies may only trade with Europe & visa versa
• However, the mercantilist policies are in place,
so you must pay 1 gold bar to England to trade
with the colonies if you are Spanish or Dutch or
to trade with the Spanish or Dutch if you are a
colonist…
– …only if England catches you…smugglers?
• You have 3 minutes to trade.
Follow-Up Discussion
• How did you feel about the restrictions on
trade?
• Why was smuggling used by the colonists?
• Who was mercantilism designed to benefit?
Reflection
• Mercantilism (Round 2) is
different than freeenterprise (Round 1)
because…