Topic > Mercantilism as a tool for Europeans to control their assets

The Western Hemisphere, rich in precious resources, was desired by every colonizing nation. It was an opportunity for nations to expand their economy into the pristine land. One of these nations was Great Britain, an extraordinarily wealthy, strong, and economically organized European nation, which took advantage of this opportunity and founded its first colony in 1607: the Jamestown Colony in Virginia. William Cronon, in his book Changes in the Land, describes how Europeans were exposed to the new cultures of the indigenous people, the native groups whose practices were impractical for Europeans. By 1732 there were a total of 13 British American colonies, including New England. In the New England colonies, trading, fishing, and manufacturing were common tasks performed by colonists. To re-establish their colonies, the Europeans decided to rebuild the economic systems of their colonies by introducing capitalism. Through capitalism, European colonists were able to control the profit and industry of the colonies. Although the European concept of capitalism weakened interactions between Indians and Europeans, it brought organization and wealth to the colonies through the trade of natural resources and the introduction of new farming and hunting techniques. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayWhen English colonizers began to settle colonial New England, they aimed to filter out and establish certain features of the land that could later be used for trade. For example, they tried to discover marketable goods that were scarce in Europe but abundant in America. These natural products such as furs, fish, whales, and trees “could be shipped to Europe and sold at a profit in order to provide a steady income for colonial settlements.” With the discovery of new resources, Europeans were able to strengthen trade between the New World and Europe. Although fish, furs, sassafras, oil, and tobacco were some of the easy commodities to obtain, lumber and corn required major environmental alterations in the New England colonies. Before European settlements were established, Native people performed seasonal migrations that Europeans called “underutilized behavior,” since the Indians would not be able to use their land or bountiful crops. In other words, the English settlers thought that because of their way of farming, the Indians would waste the resources available to them. With the introduction of corn, Europeans did not have to make seasonal migrations or intensive plantings because corn did not require much attention. Furthermore, settlers “not only cut down trees to clear fields for agriculture, but also for lumber.” Because lumber and lumber were plentiful in colonial New England, settlers used them primarily for housing and shipbuilding. One of the primary uses of timber was as fences, for fences that “demarcated not only a settlement's map of property rights, but also its economic activities and ecological relationships.” With the great act of deforestation, the soil became colder in the winter and warmer in the summer, and floods occurred more often. Furthermore, local temperatures were erratic and some larger rivers were dammed. The colonizers continued to clear and burn the forests with the aim of making the soil more nutritious. Indeed, nearby residents, the natives, were angered and urged to stop the distraction as the settlers were not only disruptive but also wasteful. On the contrary, the natives.