Recently, I have wanted to learn more about elements of America's economy. I think it is astonishing that America's largest companies and corporations have only existed for a remarkably insignificant amount time in contrary to the vast duration of time humans have inhabited the Earth. I have decided to dig down and uncover our nation's roots of business and the growth of our country through the use of scholarly articles. In this paper I am going to analyze two secondary source scholarly articles. The first is “Trade, Distribution, and Economic Growth in Colonial America” written by James F. Shepherd and Gary M. Walton. This piece was published in March of 1972. The other source is “The Entrepreneurial Spirit in Colonial America written by Edwin J. Perkins. This piece was published in the Spring of 1989. The first thing I …show more content…
The introduction broke down the agenda of the paper very smoothly. The authors agenda is to present findings and connections from studies conducted of shipping, distribution, and overseas trade, with an emphasis upon the the future later years of colonial America. This paper is laid out in three detailed sections. Part 1 explores patterns and magnitudes in colonial overseas trade. Part 2 talks about the the model underlying our analysis of improvements in distribution. It then talks about evidence pertaining to the magnitudes of the costs of distribution followed by our explanation of the decline of these costs over time. Part 3 talks about the significance of the the authors findings for interpretation of early American growth and development. The thinking style of this paper is modern regardless of it being published more than 40 years ago. This article discusses oversea trade which is very common today. Improved transportation methods have made shipping voyages much quicker
The Northern Colonies as an Empire of Goods” by T.H. Breen deals with how the economic developments of the 1740s affected the economic relationship between the colonies and Great Britain. Basically merchants started to arrive along with new supplies which led to the colonists to depend on the British. In the beginning they refused to have to go to the merchants so, whenever they were in need of any goods, they would go knocking on their neighbor’s door. The merchants were the last resort. This introduced them to what was almost the opposite of the lineal family. Once the population in the their area started to rise , many picked up and traveled towards west. At this point in time, the British importations increased tremendously.
During particular time periods whichever product rose to popularity, whether it be cotton, rum, tobacco, or sugar, became the means of buying and selling or trading. Two major products that the people of the “new world” depended on during the early colonial times were tobacco and sugar. Both Virginia and the Caribbean were able to be successful and bloom due to these two major products. Virginia and the Caribbean had many similarities as well as differences on how they changed economically and socially due to tobacco and sugar plantations.
Over the previous 150 years the colonies had attracted an ever-increasing number of immigrants and grown steadily in themselves so that they now contained significant urban centers such as Philadelphia and Boston, a large population free and slave of 1,593,625 in 1770, an abundance of land with the prospect of more to the west -now free bar the Indians rapidly being more fully used by the growing population it attracted, and a growing number of manufacturing industries. These were significant because the traditional model of colonies had been to serve as exporters of raw materials and staple goods to Britain and purchasers of manufactured goods, all along the protected trading lines of the Navigation Act. But the mainland American colonies
The period between the American Revolution and the Civil War had great significance for the United States' economy. Although initially the economy seemed unstable at first, after the second war that America fought with England, the economy began to show considerable growth thereafter. This can be seen as the result of the cotton trade in the South and the eventual industrialisation of America, especially in the Northeast and later the West. From the invention of cotton gins to the adaptation of railways one can see how the United States used their opportunities and resources to their full advantage, transforming their economy to be able to compete among the worlds leading economical countries.
The farmers in the Chesapeake region began to plant tobacco everywhere they could since the land was perfect for it. In fact, since there was such a demand for it, tobacco began “[d]ominating the [Chesapeake] region after 1622[. T]obacco remained the staple of the Chesapeake colonies and its phenomenal rise is one of the most remarkable aspects of our colonial history.” The Chesapeake colonies played a significant role in the ‘Triangle Trade’ otherwise known as the relationship between the trades in Africa, America, and Europe. Chesapeake supplied tobacco to England. England would then sell that tobacco and supply finished goods to the colonies. England brought slaves from Africa to work on Chesapeake plantations using rum imported from New England. As more slaves were brought to America the colonies would produce more tobacco ready to be exported to England. “Import of tobacco into England increased from 60,000 pounds in 1622 to 500,000 in 1628 and to 1,500,000 pounds in 1639.” Agriculture dominated every part of life in the Chesapeake region, from family life to religion to the economy. In contrast, since agriculture played since a miniscule role in New England the average family life and role of religion and the economy of New England varied greatly from that in
The colonists as we know came to the New World to start a better life in a new place. However, it was later proven that they wanted to make money in all sorts of things and ways and they also wanted to practice their religion away from anyone else. Therefore, it is clear to say that the colonists came to the New World to make money and practice their own religion.
Whether you are referring to early Israel in the Bible, the transatlantic trade during the 1600s, modern times, slavery has found a way to rear its ugly head in one way or another. It would appear that a person being a chattel to another person, as Merriam-Webster defines slavery, has been around for practically an eternity. Not only has it been –and still is –present, but slavery has been worldwide. No matter what type of slavery –forced labor, debt labor, sex slavery, or child slavery- the topic has proven to be very controversial in history. For American history in particular, slavery is one reason the Civil War began in 1861. In addition to the Civil War, multiple court cases have risen from this culture of forced labor. Cases like
The purpose of mercantilism was to increase power, wealth and self sufficiency for the mother countries. England, Spain and france would often compete with each other to gain colonies in regions such as North America, South America, Asia, and Africa. Raw materials such as lumber, wool, iron, cotton, tobacco, rice, and indigo were what England needed to be able to create manufactured goods. However, mercantilism in the American colonies were more dependent on the manufactured products of England. The Navigation Acts that were a series of laws were enforced by England so that they could make the American colonies more dependent on the manufactured goods of England.The American colonists were expected to buy manufactured goods like cloth, furniture,knives,
During the early 1800’s in the United States of America, both the Early Industrial Revolution and the Westward Expansion contributed to the sectional tension between the North and the South. While the North had factories popping up everywhere, the South had more and more land dedicated to plantations. To stay at the pace of the North, the South decided it would be beneficial if they were to become their cotton suppliers. With the invention of the cotton gin, cotton was being mass-produced and sent to the North to be made into items such as clothing. Whilst this was going on, the point of slavery became a big issue and the debate over it began, dividing the North and South more and more over time. The North didn't support slavery and instead, hired workers to work in the factories (specifically low-wage woman), while the South supported slavery and used African slaves to work on plantations. This caused many problems as both sides wanted more land to promote their opinion on slavery for either plantations or factories. Due to each of the sides having contradictory points of view on slavery, the Missouri Compromise and the addition of other territories such as during the Louisiana Purchase, the Oregon Treaty, and the Annexation of Texas, much strife occurred in the Senate. The Westward Expansion led to the desire for more land, therefore the United States expanded their land from the East coast to the West coast. The Westward Expansion promoted the addition of new land and
One specific innovation or act that impacted North American economy was the Navigation Acts passed between 1650 and 1673. These prompted trading to established by English or colonial built ships which opened up some pros and some cons. These acts enabled New England shipbuilding to prosper but it severely limited the development of colonial manufacturing and caused colonists to pay high prices for manufactured goods from England. Ships played a major role in during the colonial period because it was used highly for trading especially during the triangular trade routes, helping to transport slaves and different goods to and fro the colonies. Navigable water routes provided easy transport of materials compared to the rough and narrow land routes. Thus many harbors and taverns sprouted up in areas such as Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Charleston. Taverns soon became places where information was exchanges as well causing an increase in social interactions. The early 1800s boomed with massive changes in transportation helping to move both people, manufactured goods and raw materials proving to be a vital part of the industrial economy. Innovations didn’t stop there as the Western part of North America grew so did transportations, pioneers could easily reach the frontier due to the many new transportations methods such as canals, roads and steamboats as well and railroads. For example, the Pennsylvania’s Lancaster turnpike connected around Lancaster initiated the building of other short toll roads which by the mid-1820s connected most of the major cities. Another example would be the famous building of the Eerie Canal completed in 1825, the success of the canal stimulated economic growth and also created the construction of other canals in other states
The Early American Industrial Revolution and Westward Expansion, two interconnected yet independent occurrences, were significant events in the Antebellum Era. The Early Industrial Revolution utilized new inventions to improve the United State’s economy and change lifestyles (Hakim NN 105; Hakim NN 107). It had offered new opportunities and transformed America 's farm economy into a market economy, which is, arguably, more efficient (Hakim NN 109). While Westward Expansion extended America’s borders, fueled by a popular ideal known as “manifest destiny, it caused many disputes amongst the American citizens, creating complications in Congress (Hakim 62-63). As shown, the Industrial Revolution and Westward Expansion were both major changes for America 's economy, each with its own benefits and disadvantages (Hakim NN 103-109; Hakim 58-59). The Early Industrial Revolution and Westward Expansion promoted and enhanced the effects of each other; the increased production of textiles urged Southern farmers to expand their plantations, which in turn, produced more raw materials for the Northern industrial workers to process (Hakim NN 103-109; Hakim 58-59). While both, as shown above, had improved the economy and allowed some freedom for the workers in free states which would otherwise not have, they also promoted slavery, which, at the time, was an ongoing issue
(Devore, Lecture #3.) Even though most of the credit was issued from England, it allowed the colonists to buy more things and further strengthen and enhance the cohesiveness of the colonies. By this time the colonies had already well established external trade relationships with both the Indians and other countries. One of their major trade partners was the West Indies, where the colonists procured molasses from which they made rum. (Devore, Lecture #3.) All of these economic developments – consumerism amongst the colonies, Anglicizing of the colonies, the newfound availability and use of credit and the abundance of external trade – play a major role in the reasons that lead up to the American Revolution.
If there was ever an important period historians, and people could put a finger on, this would be it. This is the important period where the world’s countries, kingdoms, and dynasties established trade routes. This is the period where countries were made and countries were destroyed because of the importance of trade and the importance of building a fundamental, religious, and economical way of life. This paper will discuss the goals and functions of trades, and traders, and a historical analysis of world trade. This paper will also get into world trade patterns, of The Americas, Sub-Saharan Africa, The Indian Ocean, The Silk routes, China and The South China Sea, Europe and The Mediterranean, and The Atlantic Exploration.
Trade: It is a widespread fact that international trade has increased to unprecedented levels as compared to the nineteenth century. However, it was an era of rapid trade growth, cultural ties and aftermath of Age of Exploration. After the post-World War period, an extensive
Based on figure 2, we inferred that there exists some important geographic imbalance of demand and supply. This has created the utter need for trade and transportation of this product. For example, the greatest importer of bananas is European Union, which is located quite far away from the major export countries of South America or Asia. Thus, sea transportation has become the most efficient way of trading this good. However, the development of steam ships as well as the refrigerated transportation methods turned large-scale banana exports into reality. These major technological progress turned bananas into the fourth largest traded good, only after rice, wheat and corn.