What is a raw material?

Question

Would a raw material be considered a benefit as an answer to this question. What were the benefits and drawbacks of the English Mercantilistic policy for the colonies?

And what is a raw material?

Answer 1

First off, raw materials are materials in their rawest form... this could be anywhere from like a hide of a buffalo to coal.

You see the raw form produces a more complex item later. This item may be in the form of energy, food (such as wheat that makes flour) or like the buffalo hide, clothing.

The core of a Mercantilistic system evolves around trade. You can see the benefits of this when you examine the early merchants in our country where the Indians traded certain items that the pilgrims could not acquire so easy and vice versa.

In both cases, the advantage of this system allowed progression.

The negatives of this system would apply in whether or not you believe those progressions hindered the purity of their societies. For example, after awhile the Indians stopped wearing their traditional clothing and began to wear the cheaper more easily traded clothing of the 'white man'; therefore, part of their culture was lost.

Answer 2

Raw materials are building blocks for other products.

Answer 3

Like a tree before it's made into lumber.

Answer 4

Yes, and wood & iron ore would be 2 examples