Connected by Commerce

Connected by Commerce. George Washington Birthplace National Monument. , George Washington was born a British subject into the Atlantic World, a world that was globally linked by trade networks and intense international competition for land, resources, labor, and profit. Seemingly remote and isolated by today’s standards, the Washington family property was very well-connected to the larger Atlantic World by way of the Potomac River, which you can see in the distance., A major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River led to the Atlantic Ocean and from there to well-established international economic networks that were easily accessible by ship. A variety of ships, both coming and going, would have been a regular sight on the river., From Virginia plantations, tobacco and raw materials would be loaded onto ships and sent to European markets. Returning ships would be filled with a variety of European trade goods, such as tea and spices from Asia, manufactured products, and enslaved Africans for sale. News and correspondence circulated along trade routes as well. Ships also took on paying passengers traveling to various locales along the Atlantic seaboard., The economies of at least four different continents relied on this system of international trade that kept everyone supplied and connected. This system also enabled the enslavement of millions and made a small number of individuals very wealthy., How does commerce drive connections in our modern world?