For a long time, the Americas had been developing their cultural and social systems separately from the rest of the Atlantic world. This trend changed in the XVII century when the Europeans launched a fur trade with North America as a part of their global expansion. This essay discusses how long-distance cross-cultural trade impacted the Americas in the context of the Atlantic world. It also explains how trade shaped cultural and social diversity in the region.
Undeniably, the fur trade had a primary influence on the lives of North American tribes. First of all, colonizers brought new diseases to the continent, from which locals were not immune (Curtin, 1984). Bringing these new diseases resulted in “demographic catastrophes” (Curtin, 1984, p. 208). After losing large percentages of their population, the tribes were forced to change their way of life, their livelihood, and their social relations. They had to adjust to the new conditions to survive.
Moreover, some might argue that a sudden drastic loss of their people could have had a religious impact on the local tribes. Reportedly, Northern Americans’ spiritual beliefs supposed that people lived in symbiosis with animal spirits, who protected Indians’ well-being in response to worship and moderate hunting (Curtin, 1984). Thus, when the Indians began massively dying from the colonizers’ diseases, they might have lost faith in the animal spirits’ protection and intensified hunting and fur trade.
Since the indigenous people were willing to engage in the fur trade with the new-coming Europeans, they could benefit from exchange for the good. Those tribes that first became involved with the cross-cultural trade, reportedly, were likely to attempt to monopolize the supply by removing competitors (Curtin, 1984). The traders received new technologies and new weapons from the Europeans, which benefited hunting, and gave them a military advantage (Curtin, 1984). Therefore, the natural desire to survive under unprecedentedly harsh circumstances pushed Indians to engage in wars. The tribes with the newest and the most technologically advanced iron tools contributed to diminishing the other tribes’ population and minimizing local social and cultural diversity.
Notably, the trade had a disproportionally higher cultural and social impact on the Indians than the Europeans. Since the locals did not have an established trade system and were not used to the idea of the market, the colonizers at first adjusted the negotiations to fit the North Americans’ worldview (Curtin, 1984). However, the Europeans did not find it practical since it confused bureaucracy and potential financial losses (Curtin, 1984). Thus, instead of internalizing the local traditions, the colonizers gradually imposed their cultural and social norms onto the native people.
Later, in the XVIII and XIX centuries, the cross-cultural global trade brought drastic changes to the established settlers’ communities in the Americas. Most notably, it indirectly encouraged U.S. and Latin American independence (Word Document). The scientific, cultural, and philosophical revolutions in Europe changed the traditional religious and cultural dogmas and opened new possibilities for change. Since the Americas continued to trade with Europe, social and cultural transformation ideas traveled across the ocean alongside economic goods.
The new philosophical schools of thought probably have the most impact in North America. The ideas of liberalism served as a foundation for the U. S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and other fundamental American documents (Word Document). People, who pronounced their independence from the old world, followed the French ideals, which they learned through the economic exchange. Notably, France directly supported the American struggle for freedom because they expected to receive a tactical advantage over Britain if the U. S. became independent (Word Document). This strategic military alliance also allowed the French to infiltrate American society, slightly increasing diversity.
The French military activity also had significant implications for Latin America. Apart from fighting against Britain, France also wanted to undermine Portugal and Spain (Word Document). Instead of stirring the independence movements in the overwhelmingly loyal colonies, France attacked Spain and seized the throne (Word Document). In response to that, Latin America’s elites initiated politically conservative independence movements supporting the Spanish crown and the Pope, and most of them succeeded by 1825 (Word Document). The main impact of trade, in this case, was the strong connection between Latin America and Portugal, which resulted in loyalty and subsequent struggle against the French rule. Moreover, even though, Latin America was politically conservative, social practices were evolving simultaneously with the other parts of the Atlantic world due to economic relationships.
To conclude, at different points in history, long-distance, cross-cultural had various significant impacts on the Americas’ cultural, economic, and social areas of life. When the settlers and colonizers first arrived in the Americas, they negatively affected the local demographics, wiped out many locals, and pushed those who remained to engage in the fur trade. The Europeans brought diverse cultures to a new area, but they contributed to minimizing the Indian community’s diversity. As trade and life in the Americas became increasingly Europeanized, French political and philosophical trends drastically changed the social and political order in the region. France directly supported the U. S. fight for independence and indirectly led Latin America to independence. It is clear that due to the long-distance cross-cultural trade, the Americas became more similar to the rest of the Atlantic world over time and followed its political, cultural, social, and economic trends.
References
Curtin, P. D. (1984). Cross-cultural trade in world history. Cambridge University Press.