In the second half of the 19th century, the ___ were set up at different locations, mainly around the Mississippi river.

• A. Missouri River
• B. Board of Trades
• C. Banks
• D. Merchants guilds

Answer: (B)

Boards of Trade emerged in the latter half of the 19th century as merchant-driven market bodies that coordinated trade, shared price information, and helped standardize practices for buying and selling goods. They formed in key commercial towns where production met large markets, especially along the Mississippi river, because that waterway and its connected rail lines created dense hubs for agricultural products like grain and cotton. In these towns, a Board of Trade provided a central forum for merchants to publish market data, organize purchases and sales, and lay the groundwork for more formal exchanges later on. While banks or merchants guilds played important roles in finance or craft-based trade, the term Boards of Trade specifically captures these broad, market-wide organizations that clustered around the Mississippi corridor to facilitate commerce.