The following standards have been taken from the Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McRel) standards.

Students will understand:

• Understand growth and change in the European colonies during the two centuries following their founding (e.g., the arrival of Africans in the European colonies in the 17^th century, rapid increase of slave importation in the 18^th century).


• Understand the contribution of African slaves to economic development in the Americas (e.g., contributions of rice cultivation and cattle raising in South Carolina) and the transmission of African cultural heritage (e.g., through religious practices, dances, and work songs).


• Understand how slavery influenced economic and social elements of Southern society (e.g., how slavery hindered the emergence of capitalist institutions and values, the influence of slavery on the development of the middle class, the influence of slave revolts on the lives of slaves and freed slaves).


• Understand the characteristics of mercantilism in colonial America (e.g., the Atlantic economy and triangular trade, overseas trade and the Navigation Acts, economic development in French, English, and Spanish colonies).