Lecture One
Pre-Industrial Work: Staple Production
Draw of the New World
Gold: Economic reasons
God: Christian missionaries
Glory: You are furthering the growth of an empire
Staples:
Dominant driving force in early economy
Harold Innis = Classic Definition
“Business of extracting or acquiring resource commodities in order to sell them to an external market”
Resource industries: getting the material and selling it
With staple industries the demand for the resource is some where else (economic center: Britain, France etc.)
Main development is in the center
1st Staple: FISH on the Grand Banks
People started rushing over to fish and send them back to Europe
Early 18th- 19th Century Ships are low tech, rough sees, single hook lines, no nets
Residential fishery
Used to place hold the best fishing spots
Companies would place settlements over seas in order to keep their spots instead of sailing from Europe
Outport fisheries were located near the water in order to get out to the water quicker, extremely isolated, devoted to one thing
Life in Residential Fisheries
Life is on the water
Structural disadvantages:
Fish Prices: You never knew prices of fish in outside markets
Debt: Money for boats, lines etc. constantly in debt due to start up costs, always working off their debts
Isolation: Focused on fish, focused on work, many people did not think this was a negative many thought it was better than Europe
Distinct culture: Wasn’t allot of diversity, everyone ate fish
2nd Staple: Fur Trade
Truly unique
Commerce and interchange between peoples
Mutual dependency
Aboriginals: Trapping, could not shoot would ruin furs
Whites: Trade Goods
Original fur trade happened along the Hudson’s Bay Route
Forts were set up around the Hudson’s bay close to the water and waited for aboriginals to show up in order to trade
Aboriginals believed you could not trade with someone you did not know, so festivals were set up during trades then the trades would happen
Montreal Based Trade
Emerges later
Goes to aboriginal people
Pressures from imports (competition)
Voyageurs
Original transport workers in Canada
Job was to transport goods out in Canada and bring