You would only be able to eat things you grew. You would only be able to wear clothes you made yourself. And you would have to make the cloth for the clothes from the wool of your own sheep or from your own cotton. You could have a computer only if you could make all the parts yourself and then put them together… and, of course, to use your homemade computer you'd have to generate your own electricity, build your own desk and chair, and write your own software!

Does that sound like something you could do?

Well, it wouldn't be easy, and that's why people have been trading with each other for thousands of years.

Trade started very simply. One neighbor had meat. Another neighbor had some bread. They shared, trading a little meat for a little bread. It didn't take long for whole villages to get involved in trade. One person might sell shoes. Someone else sold wool for cloth. Some people traded their skills to get things. A doctor, for instance, took care of people in return for food and clothes. A carpenter built houses or furniture.

Soon people started traveling beyond their villages to trade for things they couldn't produce at home. People who lived far from the sea wanted fish to eat. Other people wanted spices or salt or wine. They wanted fruit or olive oil or medicine.

But trade wasn't always easy. Imagine how frightening it would be if you didn't know what was beyond the mountains near your village or over the sea you lived near. Would you be brave enough to travel into the unknown in search of things to trade? Would you want to travel to other countries where people didn't speak your language to see if they would be willing to trade with you? Many people were. In fact, the desire to trade led to the exploration of much of the world. People left their homes to travel and trade. They walked or took horses or sailed in ships.

One of these traders was Marco Polo. In 1271, when Marco was 17 years old, he began a trading journey that took him from Italy to China and back. His trip took him 24 years. That's sure a lot longer than a trip to the neighborhood grocery store!

Today, we often take trade for granted. Unlike Marco Polo, we don't have to spend years traveling to buy the things we want. Most grocery stores have fresh fruit all year round. We can buy toys, books, games, and clothes made in almost every country in the world at our neighborhood stores. And our trade routes are no longer daring explorations over mountains and seas but rather routine trips that people make every day.

Yet trade is still exciting. And it's still complex. Because today - just as in Marco Polo's time - trade is about people working together. And that means that no matter how or what we trade, we have to think about the other people we are trading with when we buy something.

Study Questions:

1. Use the library or Internet to learn more about Marco Polo and his journey. Where did he travel? What did he find? Write a 1-page report about what you learn.
2. One of the big questions about trade these days is how to make sure it is fair to everyone. People who believe in 'fair trade' want to make sure that the farmers who harvest coffee beans or the seamstresses who sew our clothes make enough money for their work. Do you think this is important? Use the library or Internet to research the issue of 'fair trade coffee.' Write a 1-page report about what you learn.
3. What does your town trade? Is your town known for wheat or potatoes? For making computers or software? Or for something else? Research your town's history and write a short report about what you learn.

Check out past Trade Topics entries!