Mercantilism Lesson Plan Handout The Finite Pie
Lesson Plan: Mercantilism & 17th-Century Power
World History / Economics
High School (Grades 9-12)
Learning Objectives
Define mercantilism and explain the "zero-sum" worldview.
Analyze how the Navigation Acts functioned as protectionist policy.
Evaluate how economic competition led to the Anglo-Dutch Wars and shifts in global power.
Key Vocabulary
Zero-Sum Game Bullionism Tariffs Protectionism Navigation Acts Trade Monopoly
Materials Needed
Trading Game Resource Cards (printed)
Crash Course Euro History #15 (10:20-11:45)
"Gold" tokens (or tally sheets)
Lesson Procedure
5 MIN
Introduction
Hook: The Classroom Economy
Explain to the class: "For the next 5 minutes, every point you earn in this class can only come from another student. There are exactly 100 points in the room. No more can be created."
Discussion Prompt: If you want to get an 'A', what must you do to your neighbor? How does this change how you view your friends? This is the core of Mercantilism: The Zero-Sum Game.
10 MIN
Direct Inst.
Visual Learning: Crash Course
Watch Crash Course European History #15 from 10:20 to 11:45. Focus on the "Thought Bubble" segment regarding the finite pie and the Navigation Acts.
Watch for:
How did nations ensure more gold came in than went out ?
Watch for:
What were the Navigation Acts of 1651 designed to accomplish?
25 MIN
Simulation
The Trading Game
Divide the class into English Merchants and Dutch Merchants . Use the "Role-Play Scenarios" handout.
Round 1 (Free Trade): Students trade Spices for Textiles. Any "ship" (token) can carry goods. Goal: Maximize wealth.Round 2 (Mercantilism Hits): Introduce the Navigation Act Rule: English goods must be carried on English ships. If an English merchant uses a Dutch ship, they lose 50% of their profit to the "Crown."Conflict: What happens when the Dutch lose their business? How do the English respond when they realize they can't afford their own ships?
5 MIN
Debrief
Closure: The Cost of Competition
Reflect: "If the economy is a fixed pie, is war inevitable?" Discuss how this mindset led to the lynching of the De Witt brothers (13:22 in video) and the rise of Britain. Does this "Zero-Sum" mindset exist in modern trade wars?
Teacher's Guide & Keys
Historical Context for Teachers
Mercantilism was not just about money; it was about state power . The Dutch were the "carriers of Europe" because their ships were cheaper and more efficient. England's Navigation Acts were a form of economic warfare meant to cripple the Dutch shipping monopoly. By forcing English merchants to use more expensive English ships, the government ensured that profits (and sailors/ships for the Navy) stayed within the Empire, even if it made individual goods more expensive for consumers.
Simulation Setup
• Give Dutch groups 3 "Ship" tokens each.
• Give English groups 1 "Ship" token and 5 "Colonial Resource" cards.
• The Dutch must sell their shipping services to survive.
• The English need the Dutch ships until the Navigation Act forbids it.
Discussion Cheat Sheet
• Bullionism: The belief that a country's wealth is measured solely by its gold/silver reserves.
• Trade Balance: Exporting (selling) more than you import (buying).
• The "Pie": 17th-century thinkers didn't believe in "growth" as we do; they thought for one to win, one must lose.
Mercantilism Trading Scenarios Activity The Trading Game
17th-Century Mercantilism Simulation
Student Name
Date
How to Play
Step 1: You will be assigned to a "Nation" (England or The Netherlands).Step 2: Your goal is to accumulate the most GOLD by the end of Round 2.Step 3: Goods (Spices, Sugar, Tobacco) can only be traded if you have a SHIP to carry them.Step 4: In Round 2, new laws (The Navigation Acts) will change who can carry what.
England's Goal
Control the colonies and bring raw materials home.
Dutch Goal
Be the "Carriers of the Seas." Rent your ships to everyone.
Team England
Mercantile Britain
"Our power is the sea, and our wealth is our land. We have the colonies, but we lack the ships to bring the bounty home."
Starting Inventory: 5 Colonial Resource Cards (Tobacco, Sugar, Cotton).
Starting Fleet: 1 English Ship Token.
Constraint: You have more goods than you can carry. You must hire foreign ships to get your goods to market.
Team Netherlands
The Dutch Republic
"We are a small nation, but we own the ocean. Why farm when you can own the wagons that carry the grain?"
Starting Inventory: 2 Spice Cards (High Value).
Starting Fleet: 4 Dutch Ship Tokens (Efficient & Fast).
Strategy: Rent your 4 ships to the English. Charge them gold for every trip across the ocean.
Trading Assets (Cut along dashed lines)
Ship Token
Colonial Resource
Dutch Spices
10 Gold
ROUND 2: THE NAVIGATION ACTS
"All goods imported into England or its colonies MUST be carried on English ships with an English crew. No Dutch ships allowed. Any violations will result in seizure of the cargo by the Crown."
Mercantilism and Power Slides The Finite Pie
Mercantilism & 17th-Century Power
World History & Economics
The "Zero-Sum" Mindset
"To become wealthier, you had to take wealth from other places."
The total amount of wealth in the world is fixed .
If you gain a "slice" of the pie, your neighbor must lose one.
Economy = National Security.
MY GOLD
YOUR LOSS
Crash Course Analysis
The Dutch Golden Age & Mercantilism
WATCH: 10:20 - 11:45
Embedded media
Bullionism
Hoarding gold and silver as the only measure of wealth.
Protectionism
Using tariffs and laws to block foreign competitors.
Trade War
Economic rivalry turning into literal military combat.
The Navigation Act of 1651
Britain's Move:
Tired of the Dutch "carriers" making all the profit from English colonies, Oliver Cromwell passed a law...
1. Goods to England must use English ships.
2. Crews must be 75% English.
3. Foreign ships (The Dutch) are banned from colonial trade.
The Consequence
This was not just a law; it was an act of war.
Dutch profits plummeted instantly.
Resulted in the Anglo-Dutch Wars .
Activity: The Trading Game
Can you survive the Mercantilist shift?
Round 1
"Free-ish Trade"
Trade spices and textiles using any available ship. Accumulate as much gold as possible.
Round 2
"Navigation Acts"
English players cannot use Dutch ships. You must build your own or your trade is seized.
Conflict
"Zero-Sum"
If the English stop hiring Dutch ships, what happens to the Dutch economy? What is their next move?
The Final Question...
If a nation believes wealth is a fixed pie, can they ever truly be at peace with their neighbors?
Connect to History
How did this mindset lead to the downfall of the Dutch Golden Age?
Connect to Today
Do we still see "zero-sum" thinking in modern trade wars and tariffs?
