Triangular Trade Routes

Triangular Trade involved trade routes that moved in a triangle direction. One of the most popular was from the Southern Colonies (Molasses) to the North American Colonies (Rum) to Africa (Slaves).

Another popular route took cash crops (rice, indigo, cotton, sugar and tobacco) to Europe. Then manufactured goods to Africa and from Africa, slaves to the colonies.

There were many other routes and goods that traveled in triangular paths from the New World to the Old. All of the natural wealth of the colonies were turned into trade goods, fish, furs, whale oil, iron, timber, naval stores, and wheat were common goods carried. While not the great money makers as the cash crops were, these products were in abundance and therefore less expensive in the New World. The age-old adage of "buy low, sell high" was the guiding principle for these trade routes. The profits made could be huge and became the foundations of much of the new wealthy elite of the English colonies.
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