Fu Trade In Colonial America

The colonial-era fur trade was a major component of the economy of early America and its overall development. North American Pelts and hides were in high demand and extremely valuable in Europe, where wearing fur provided warmth and social prestige. And for the Native Americans the use of European weapons, utensils, materials and other goods in exchange for furs were of great value as well. Cultural exchanges were increased and produced offspring used as intermediaries for networking and trade. Although fairly equal in societal benefit’s for both Native Americans and Europeans in the beginning, the Colonial American would later become the dominate society because of the fur trades.

With the increasing market for fur trades expanding throughout the Eurasian countries, several European nations swarmed the coastline from Oregon to Alaska on the West and from Montreal to Florida on the East (Calloway, 2012). Swedes, Dutch, French, British, Spaniards, Russians, Colonial and Native Americans all participated in the pelt trade and established trade posts all over the country (Calloway, 2012).

Fur trades affected colonists, by turning trading posts into centers of cultural as well as economic interaction, while expanding their influence further into Native American country (Calloway, 2012).

Increasing fur trade also increased imported commercial goods for Colonial Americans in European houseware, food, weapons, tools, clothing, and houseware’s which expanded localized markets. The increased access to European accommodations increased economy, enhancing living standards, population growth, slavery and attracting more European entrepreneurs. With the expansion of fur trades more into native country colonists began marrying and living with the native peoples creating kinship networks of Native Americans, and provided the rest of the Colonial Americans with access to the Native societies (Calloway,

2012).
Fur trades affected the Native Americans by depleting their animal populations to the point of extinction, lost traditional hunting rituals, traditional crafting skills and increased warfare (Calloway, 2012). Fur trades changed how Native Americans utilized slaves due to demands for labor increases, their custom of enslaving to adopt into their societies or for prestige turned into raiding for slaves, in order to meet colonial work force demands and human pelts trade (Calloway, 2012). As a result of centuries of fur trades being a part of their daily routine Native Americans slowly became dependent on European technology and consumer goods for survival. Natives would also succumb to disease and alcoholism as time progressed. The increased dependencies lead to a loss of customs traditions and internal strife that would tare nation a part.

What made the colonial fur trades so significant is how it revolutionized the economy, society and developed the infrastructure of the modern day U.S. and Canada. Increased interactions created inter-cultural marriages between Native American and European societies that linked Indian country to an expanding transatlantic economy (Calloway, 2012). Benefits’ in the short term were pretty well distributed to both the Native American and European colonies, with the increased subsistence and commercialism that resulted from the fur-trades. In the long run only the European colonies prospered any real substantive rewards from the 300 plus years of fur trade. As detailed previously, the increased commerce and global networking enterprises established coupled with new lands accumulated left the Colonial Americans on the winning side.