Three Port Cities

Locate Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia, and explain how trade with Europe made them grow.

Warm-up, learn, try it together, practice, then a quick check. About 15 minutes.

What children learn in Level 9

Our story begins in the 1750s, with thirteen British colonies along the Atlantic coast. Their three great port cities were Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia.
A port is a town with a harbor. Boston, in Massachusetts, had a deep harbor. New York City sat at the mouth of the Hudson River. Philadelphia, in Pennsylvania, grew on the Delaware River.
Ships linked these ports to Europe. Colonists sent crops and raw materials like tobacco, rice, lumber, and furs to Britain. Those goods were exports.
Ships came back with imports: finished goods like fine cloth, iron tools, glass, and tea. Trade helped both sides, because each got things it wanted but didn't make.

Georgia Standards of Excellence in Social Studies:

SS4G1.b — Locate major man-made features of the United States: New York City, NY; Boston, MA; Philadelphia, PA; Washington, D.C.; Gettysburg, PA; and the Erie Canal.
SS4E1.e — Describe how trade promotes economic activity (e.g., trade between the U.S. and Europe).