China Trade in Growing America: 1783-1843

Students will discover how post Revolutionary War America became a world trading force. They will learn about the Empress of China, America's first ship to hoist her flag in Chinese waters; how tea, porcelain, and silk were produced; and what life was like on sailing ships and in old Canton. Hands-on historical documents, including maps, ships' papers and Asian artifacts, illustrate the methods and success of American traders in the Far East, and the opening of the Pacific Northwest and Hawaii to trade. This primary source portfolio contains ready-to-use, hands-on primary source documents, most in their original sizes, and reproducible Broadsheets, which provide historical background for understanding the documents. A summary of important dates in the American China Trade is presented in an easy-to-understand timeline. Students will also view a China Trade Word List with Chinese Characters. This portfolio includes a Study Guide with reproducible student activities. 5 Illustrated Broadsheet Essays: * Independence and the Need for Trade * Challenges of the American China trade * Life in Canton * Record-Setting Ships and Merchant Princes * The Lure of the China Trade 12 Primary Source Documents: * Two marine society certificates, 1797 and 1822 * Articles of Agreement for the sloop Experiment, November 12, 1785 * Map of the world showing the voyages of the Empress of China and the Columbia and their differing routes to China * Carpenter's certificate of Retier Beckett for the ship Fame, 1802 * Title page of the log of the Columbia, September 1787 * Pages from the journal of the Massachusetts, October 7-12, 1790 * Grand Chop, 1846 * Watercolor set: The Process of Tea Culture * Watercolors of porcelain manufacture * Clark & Nightingale merchandise inventory for the Halcyon, May 12, 1795 * Poster: "Something for Mrs. Peabody" fancy items of the China Trade * Poster: Tea trade images and artifacts