The fur trade was the second staple industry in Canada and at the time was a dominant source of employment. The Montreal fur trade emerged slightly after the Hudson Bay fur trade and employed a distinctly different structure. The main difference that emerged with the Montreal fur trade was that it hired voyageurs to transport fur and goods all across central Canada. In her article, Carolyn Podruchny explores the relationships between the servant voyageurs and their bourgeois masters and the “labour disputes and power struggles which characterize the trade” (69). During the Montreal fur trade, voyageurs resisted their master’s authority to significantly control their working conditions. In her article, Podruchny develops her work well; however,…
began to explore and trade with the Western Hemisphere of the world. This trade included ideas, disease, and goods; specifically fur which begins as a necessity and later becomes a worldwide luxury. The new-coming Europeans used this fur trade to their advantage and brought distinct and positive effects on the new America. This change, which was brought to the Americas through the European countries France, Spain and England, caused drastic changes in the colonies. These changes in…
Popular histories often marginalize First Nations women when discussing the fur trade. However, these women were quite significant and contributed a great deal to the vast and rapid development of colonial fur trading, playing a unique but important role in fur trade. Also, the fur trade itself changed the culture of First Nations women permanently and altered their role in their society. European fur traders first came to Canada early in the 16th century, and by the 19th century their…
In Canada today, “The fur trade is part of Canada’s resource-based economy and one of …[the most] significant industries,… Canada’s fur trade contributes more than $800 million annually to the Canadian economy,… In 2006, fur exports contributed $226 million to Canada’s balance of [international] trade” (“About Canada’s Fur Trade Facts and Figures”). But, a major problem in Canada is the fact that illegal poaching is increasing which hurts Canada’s wildlife. Every single country deals with…
Fur trade kickstarted Canada's economy by spreading trade throughout Canada, creating new jobs for both European and First Nations people and creating a need for many different industries. Establishing the economy Before the fur trade with England, the First Nations people bartered to get what they needed. They traded food, furs, copper, pottery and other necessities with other First Nations people (p.77), over short and long distances. They mainly travel by canoe and by foot. This changed…
Before the fur trade became a booming business and driving economic force in the early years of the United States, it was just a means of trade between the Indigenous and Europeans that had settled in the land. It was a connection of mutual benefit as the Europeans gained fur pelts in areas where winter was severe, and the Indigenous tribes gained goods and weaponry (1). What started out as a means of friendly relations between fisherman and the Indigenous is what later turned into the booming…
A Feud Over Fur 1821, two competitors merge to end fighting, and find strength, united. The Hudson’s Bay Company and the North West Company merged during July, 1821. This came after a tense competition between the companies since around 1787, which grew into that of a war; many battles were fought, and many ruthless actions were taken during that time. After pressure from the British government, the two companies merged; both realized that their battle would destroy both sides. The new company…
Archives”). Over time the demand for furs has subsided, but the lasting impact that the company’s workers have left behind will remain. The tireless workers of the Hudson Bay Company were the main driving force behind an age of trade and industry, responsible for greatly impacting pre-industrial revolution North America. The employees of the company had to deal with numerous obstacles and demanding challenges in order to ensure that the trading went smoothly. Referencing a first-hand account…
The Europeans and Americans had a common interest in the region: fur trade. The fur trade in the region with the Natives proved to be the dominant economic force in the region and would make the Oregon Territory a valuable region for all countries involved. As the Spanish revoked all claims north of the 42nd parallel in the Adams-Onis Treaty of 1819, they did not establish a company to participate in the fur trade. However, the Russians, British, and Americans each established a company to…
to meetings in the west at a designated place to trade furs and goods. The majority of rendezvous happened in the Rocky Mountain region and frequently occurred in Indian villages. Rendezvous started in the year 1810 and continued throughout the better part of the century up to the 1880’s. Rendezvous lasted anywhere from a couple days to several weeks (Harris 42). Rendezvous impacted the geographical movement of the American people. Rendezvous helped develop the west because they brought…