Infographic: The Value of Exports and Imports–American Colonies and England and Scotland, 1763–1790

Value of Goods Imported to the British North American Thirteen Colonies

by Douglas A. Irwin

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Line graph showing value of imports to British North America by year

Douglas A. Irwin, “The Struggle for Independence, 1763–1789,” in Clashing over Commerce: A History of U.S. Trade Policy (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), www.nber.org/system/files/chapters/c13851/c13851.pdf.

Discussion Questions

Look Closely

  1. In which year did the American colonies import the most goods?
  2. In the late eighteenth century, did the people living in North America generally import more goods or export more goods?
  3. During which years was trade sharply reduced? 

Think Critically

  1. How could you find out why trade declined when it did?
  2. One of the goods that colonists imported was paper. Why was paper important during the American Revolution? Why was a paper shortage potentially a problem?

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