Which term describes a system of trade policies that aimed to accumulate wealth by controlling colonial trade?

• A. Patriot
• B. Mercantilism
• C. Loyalist
• D. Representative Government

Answer: (B)

Mercantilism is an economic system that aimed to accumulate wealth by controlling colonial trade. It focused on a favorable balance of trade—exporting more than you import—and often measured wealth in precious metals. In practice, the mother country directed colonial production and trade to benefit itself: colonies supplied raw materials and bought manufactured goods from the homeland, with laws and regulations that kept most commerce within the empire. This kind of policy kept wealth circulating inside the country and its colonies, rather than spreading freely across global markets. The other terms describe people or political structures, not a system of trade policy, so they don’t fit the idea of controlling colonial trade for economic gain.