Wealth In Colonial America

In the time period of “The Way to Wealth” it was a common trend to spend money on an extravagant lifestyle to show your wealth. The upper class liked to use materialistic objects to boast about their economic status and would often go into debt because of their frivolous spending. The more expensive objects one acquired the higher up in class they would seem. Franklin did not follow others with this furor as stated in his quote,"It is easier to suppress the first desire, than to satisfy all that follow it.” His attitude towards money was that it should be spent wisely and with a purpose.

In 1742 the chief of Onondaga of the Iroquois Confederacy knew that his land that the people shared would become more valuable than it has ever been. (Doc B)The reason for this was because the “white people” also known as the Americans wanted the land of the chief. The feelings of the Chief result in complaining to the representatives of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia,

Throughout the seventeenth century, conflict between Europeans and Native Americans was rampant and constant. As more and more Europeans migrated to America, violence became increasingly consistent. This seemingly institutionalized pattern of conflict begs a question: Was conflict between Europeans and Native Americans inevitable? Kevin Kenny and Cynthia J. Van Zandt take opposing sides on the issue. Kevin Kenny asserts that William Penn’s vision for cordial relations with local Native Americans was destined for failure due to European colonists’ demands for privately owned land.

Written by Christina Hodge, the book Consumerism and the Emergence of the Middle Class in Colonial America: The Genteel Revolution, was to portray a woman during the eighteenth century and daily life in Newport. Hodge talks about Widow Pratt throughout the chapters, she is not the main character. The book is also based on a historiography, which is the study of historical writing. The theme of the book is on gentility, the social superiority by genteel manners, behavior, or appearance. There is also the way of being genteel, the way to act proper.

Kevin Berrios AP US History Mr. Mazzulo American Indians and European Colonists In the 1600s, the early encounters between the American Indians and European colonists led to different relationships and cultures spreading amongst themselves. In the European colonization areas of New England, Chesapeake, Spanish Southwest, New York, and New France, the relationships were based on how they reacted to each other. Three factors that always played a role in the relationships were social, political, and economic. Even though, the colonists and Indians, at some times, were at peace, their unfamiliarity with each other led to trust issues and fights along the path to harmony.

Native Americans were not prepared to live in the style they were forced to resort to. From the earliest starting point of time, they lived as a group and relied on the different qualities and capacities of every tribe part to survive and develop. White pilgrims would have been excited to be given 160 sections of land of land, yet the assignment amounted to only sorrow and trouble for most Native Americans. A large portion of them, not able to cultivate, sold their allocation to white neighbors. The individuals who made a push to figure out how to cultivate frequently fizzled in light of the fact that they had no formal preparing and no cash or credit to purchase the hardware important to run a homestead.

A great amount of citizens wanted to take a portion of the Indians’ land in order to advance themselves with knowledge of their territories

The colonist’s success in the colonies depend on their livestock thriving, because the livestock provided them with meat as well as dairy. The main conflict between the Native Americans and colonists involving the livestock stemmed from their overall cultural differences. The Native Americans respected animals and nature while the colonists on regarded animals as food. This began to create a problem for Phillip, because he became torn between his Native American ideals and customs and adapting to the colonists’ ideals and customs. The Native Americans grew agitated with the

Europeans had travelled to the Americas with intentions of finding gold as well as convert the inhabitants to Christianity. Many Native Americans were not given a choice and were forced to convert to the new religion and give up their traditional beliefs which created many tensions between the Old and New World. John Mair“argued that some people were by nature slaves, and some by nature free (Watson 446).” Because the Native Americans were a less developed civilization, they lacked the power to protest the European invasion and were forced into slavery which further weakened their already existing society as they had to focus on simply surviving against the foreign invaders. But not all shared the view of Native Americans as backwards and uncivilized.

The Spanish based their colonies on the promise of finding gold and possessing it, while the English Settlers based their colonies on the preaching of Christianity all while believing that the land they possessed and owned was how they would gain their liberty, independence, and ultimately their freedom. The Native Americans believed that the land belonged to not one person, but to a community instead; as long a you showed deep respect for it and cared for it as so mandated by the great spirit. Whether it be by the use of violence, religious education, or respect, every society and every person had different views on how the land and its resources should be

Some settlers shared an interest in modernization and commercial exchange. The European settlers were attracted to the region’s river valleys because of the connection to other markets they provided. It was all about exchanging with other markets to them, they

Indigenous peoples have had long histories of rich cultures long before their lands were colonized and resources

The lands that the Native Americans were previously calling their homelands were immediately sold and used for their resources (timber, mining, gold etc.) I like the quote under the Treaty Timeline portion that highlights this best as quoted by Ohiyesa, “The greatest object of their lives seems to be to acquire possessions-to be rich. They desire to possess the whole world” (Why Treaties Matter, How Treaties Changed Lands and Lifeways) I think that this another example of how we have been socialized to believe the Eurocentric perspective that is taught in textbooks.

Mercantilists believed money was equal to power, and that wealth was strongly correlated to political or state power. But over all, their entire goal was to advance the country’s interest through regulation. They defined wealth through the country’s supply of precious metals (e.g. gold and silver). All goods needed to be produced in the country itself to be able to decrease imports and increase exports, so that there would be a surplus on the balance of trade. A positive balance of trade was a key player as it insinuates advancements in wealth.

“The Wealth of Nations” was published in 1776 during the Industrial Revolution by a political economist named Adam Smith. Smith developed capitalism in this country as he coined the term, “invisible hand” which refers to the benefit and guidance society receives when individuals act in their own self-interest when earning money. Smith argued in his writing that the government should not interfere with business in order to control the economy. Government would essentially play a major role in regulating the economic life of the United States of America. Adam Smith believed that the government should not intervene with the economy by prohibiting trade or regulating how trade should be carried out.