What would be a good response to this?
For this week I decided to research and reflect on question one concerning the fur trade. I recently watched The Revenant and this topic spiked my interest.
Prior to the arrival of the Europeans, Native Americas practiced fur trading in moderation. Native Americans did not seek to squander this resource they traded on a minimal scale based on the population, and only hunted and disbursed a quantity in which was needed to sustain wellness (Sowards, 2018). Prior to the European arrival animals of the area were also able to prosper because Native groups lived on a migration basis, which allowed them time to repopulate without being wiped out by hunting.
Once Europeans arrived they encouraged Native Americans to help them grow the fur trading business on a larger scale. These bonds did provide some benefits to the locals it allowed them help foster relationships as more than 40 percent of the fur trading population married Native American women (Sowards, 2018). Both husband and wife gained from these relationships. Native American women gained superiority over their peers, while European men gained access to land and companionship in rural hunting areas.
It appears the endeavors the Native American people endured due these transactions far outweighed the benefits. Interaction with the European people alone caused countless deaths due to sickness and disease. The initial fur trade set up stacked Native Americans against each other as the market was very competitive and each group sought dominance (Sowards, 2018). By the early 1800s most hunting resources were dwindled to near extinction.
Fur trade essentially set a fire to the exploration of America. Due to dwindling supplies trappers had no choice but to seek out new regions for prosperous hunting. The fur trade became one of the main economic ventures in North America attracting competition among the French, British, Dutch, Spanish, and Russians (Lee, 2018).