Native Roots: How the Indians Enriched America Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapters 7-9, How the Fur Trade Shaped the American Economy, Beads and Buildings, Corn, Cotton and Tobacco Summary

Chapters 7-9, How the Fur Trade Shaped the American Economy, Beads and Buildings, Corn, Cotton and Tobacco Summary and Analysis

New York City has been the center of world events in the twentieth century but it got its start as a trading post for furs. John Jacob Astor built the fur industry in New York after emigrating from Germany. He was one of the first men to achieve a multi-million dollar fortune, through creating the American Fur Company in 1808 which competed fiercely with the Hudson Bay Company in Canada. Astor could not sell to the English and so found a Chinese market for his furs. He got his supply of furs from the Native Americans, who hunted and trapped animals that produced the best and thickest pelts. Hunting often occurred in the winter and so European technology and transport, since it was based on wheels and draft animals, was not particularly effective. Native Americans already knew how to effectively hunt, such as through the use of...
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