Título: North American fur trade
Seção: Mid-18th Century
Background: The North American fur trade was the industry and activities related to the acquisition, trade, exchange, and sale of animal furs in North America. Aboriginal peoples in Canada and Native Americans in the United States of different regions traded among themselves in the Pre-Columbian Era, but Europeans participated in the trade beginning from the time of their arrival in the New World and extended its reach to Europe. The French started trading in the 16th century, the English established trading posts on Hudson Bay in present-day Canada in the 17th century, and the Dutch had trade by the same time in New Netherland. The 19th-century North American fur trade, when the industry was at its peak of economic importance, involved the development of elaborate trade networks.

Conteúdo: Deerskin trade was at its most profitable in the mid-18th century. The Creeks rose up as the largest deerskin supplier, and the increase in supply only intensified European demand for deerskins. Native Americans continued to negotiate the most lucrative trade deals by forcing England, France, and Spain to compete for their supply of deerskins. In the 1750s and 1760s, the Seven Years' War disrupted France's ability to provide manufactures goods to its allies, the Choctaws and Chickasaw. The French and Indian War further disrupted trade, as the British blockaded French goods. The Cherokees allied themselves with France, who were driven out from the southeast in accordance with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. The British were now the dominant trading power in the southeast.  While both the Cherokee and the Creek were the main trading partners of the British, their relationships with the British were different. The Creeks adapted to the new economic trade system, and managed to hold onto their old social structures. Originally Cherokee land was divided into five districts; however, the number soon grew to thirteen districts with 200 hunters assigned per district due to deerskin demand.  Charleston and Savannah were the main trading ports for the export of deerskins. Deerskins became the most popular export, and monetarily supported the colonies with the revenue produced by taxes on deerskins. Charleston's trade was regulated by the Indian Trade Commission, composed of traders who mo

user: What types of animal furs were the most profitable during the mid 18th century?

assistant: deerskins.

user: Who was the most important deerskin supplier?

assistant: The Creeks rose up as the largest deerskin supplier,

user: What was one of the countries that was an important customer for deerskins?

assistant: Great Britain

user: Was there another country besides Great Britain that bought a lot of deerskins?

assistant: Spain

user: From which North American ports were deerskins exported to Europe?

assistant: Charleston and Savannah were the main trading ports

user: Were there any wars or conflicts that disrupted the fur trade during this period?

assistant: Seven Years' War

user: What other wars or conflicts disrupted the fur trade during this time?

assistant: The French and Indian War

user: Were deerskins traded for particular goods, aside from money?

assistant: woolens, guns, ammunition, iron tools, clothing, and other manufactured goods