Pelts and palisades: The story of fur and the rivalry for pelts in early America

Pelts and palisades: The story of fur and the rivalry for pelts in early America

The story of fur is as old as the story of man. Some brief account of ancient mans quest for fur is included in the beginning of this book. However, the main narrative is concerned with the rivalry for pelts in early America. The discoverers of our country came here looking for gold. They found it in fur. After that the fur trade formed the pattern of exploration, trade and settlement. It sustained the colonies along the Atlantic seaboard until they could be rooted in agriculture and it was a controlling factor in the westward movement of our population. In the seventeenth century there was a seemingly insatiable demand in Europe for beaver pelts, inflated in no small degree by early laws prohibiting the use of cheaper furs in hat making. Since there was an apparently inexhaustible supply of these pelts in America, the fur trade quickly became the economic lifeblood of the colonies. On it was laid the cornerstone of American commerce. On it, too, was laid the cornerstone of European imperialism on this continent, the prosecution of which was largely motivated by the energies of the mercantile classes of the nations involved. The merchants, their factors, and the fur traders, shaped colonial policies. The statesmen only signed the implementing documents. ......Buy Now (To Read More)

Product details

Ebook Number: 68540
Author: Hale, Nathaniel C. (Nathaniel Claiborne)
Release Date: Jul 17, 2022
Format: eBook
Language: English
Publisher: The Deitz Press, Incorporated
Publication Date: 1959
Publisher Country: United States

Contributors

Illustrator: Jones, Elmo, -1971