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Concluding the lesson |
Make sure students have understood the main ideas of the lesson:
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Trading strategies changed over time as the supply or demand for different
products fluctuated.
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Trade with China has been a small but growing part of U.S. import/export
trade from the founding of the American Republic.
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The young United States needed capital in order to develop. Individual
businessmen who became very rich through the China trade invested their money
in business
ventures, real estate, and infrastructure in the United States.
Extension
The United States still struggles to find commodities that the Chinese want
and can afford and still experiences a large trade deficit in its trade with
China (the largest between the U.S. and any other country). Questions to discuss
with students might include:
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Why does the United States experience a trade deficit with China now? Are
the causes the same as those that caused a deficit in the early years of
U.S.—China
trade?
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What commodities does the United States import from China? What does the
U.S. export?
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Should we be concerned about the trade deficit with China? Why
is it perceived as a problem by the United States?
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