The reading by Mintz covers how sugar went from a relatively unknown commodity in Europe to a common one, even a necessity. The textbook speaks about sugar, as well as a number of other commodities that were key to
the global economy from 1400 to the 1800.
For the post, do some research one of these other commodities, such as: a specific spice from the spice trade (e.g. pepper), silk, gold, silver, beeswax, dyewoods, leather, timber, weapons, cotton, indigo, opium, jute, porcelain (or consider commodities that were not part of the textbook, such as frankincense, myrrh, etc). Focus specifically on their role during this time period (1400-1800), as much as possible.
Consider: who was producing? buying? selling? when? where? with what was it exchanged? how did that change over time? any lasting impacts of that trade?
Solution
Before 1400, not many considered cotton as a global commodity as it had alternatives such as silk, wool, and linen. However, after 1400, India furnished its capacity to produce and processes cotton, and this increase in production led to the commercialization of this commodity and its change of status to a global commodity. As the major cotton producer in Asia, India furnished its ability to produce cotton due to its people’s expertise in manipulating the material and dyeing it appropriately (Riello 6). As Indians produced cotton in large quantities, they made Europe their top market since the European textile industry started to boom after 1400. However, Indians used a production technique that improved their cotton quality and attracted a huge market. In producing cotton, Indians differentiated it according to their customers, focusing on different price tags and production specialization (Riello 7). Indians also functioned as cotton sellers with customers from far European markets buying the cotton in exchange for money and other commodities.
The sale of cotton in various markets followed specific trade routes. Indian cotton made its way to Europe, Asia, and Central Africa (Kobayashi 62). The trade of cotton also contributed to the growth of the British-Atlantic slave trade. Between 1699 and 1808, Indians sold cotton to the British, and the success of the trade followed the emergence of cotton as a global necessity in Asia, Europe, and Africa (Kobayashi 62). However, the Indian cotton grew in popularity as a global commodity after traders’ preference for this commodity over the European wool. Around the 1760s, the British bought cotton from the Indians and sold it in Africa. As cotton grew in popularity as a global commodity, wool’s popularity shrunk, and around 1760, cotton had entirely replaced wool (Kobayashi 63). During this era, the British got attracted to Indian cotton due to its quality. For instance, the penciling, printing, and painting of the Indian cotton around the 15th century exhibited signs of classic colors and designs, the ability to withstand exposure to sunlight, and popularity among textile customers (Kobayashi 65). The quality of the cotton saw Indians produce and sell to the British during the British-Atlantic slave trade era, with most of the cotton ending up in Africa during the 15th century.
Indians traded cotton for monetary gains. In most instances, the British interested in Indian cotton exchanged it for money, which was the most common exchange method (Riello 7). Instances that did not involve money saw Indians demand other precious goods. In the Indian Ocean trade, Indians sold their cotton in exchange for gift practices and symbolic associations (Riello 7). However, in the Atlantic slave trade, cotton had a different payment form, with American traders exchanging African slaves for the Indian cotton (Kobayashi 61). Americans had joined in the cotton trade and felt that with the large textile industry in India, Indian producers needed human labor to keep up the production. Slaves in exchange for cotton became popular towards the start of the 18th century due to the industrial revolution and the desire for economic development in Europe and America (Kobayashi 61). The overreliance of barter trades in the British-Atlantic slave trade, where cotton traded mostly, faded with the demand for produced goods.
After African’s emerged as another market for cotton, they showed an interest in exchanging cotton for goods with an African preference. Due to the change in preference for exchanged goods, European buyers, who acted as the cotton buyers, needed to identify goods preferred by African merchants (Kobayashi 61). With Africans becoming active cotton trade agents, the exchange of slaves for cotton diminished over time, leaving the exchange between cotton for money and other goods other than slaves’ thriving modes. Due to the change in the mode of trade for cotton, this trade increased demand for cotton.
Works Cited
Kobayashi, Kazuo. “The British Atlantic Slave Trade and Indian Cotton Textiles: The Case of
Thomas Lumley & Co.” Modern Global Trade and the Asian Regional Economy. Springer, Singapore, 2018. 59-85.
Riello, Giorgio. “The Making of a Global Commodity: Indian Cottons and European trade, 1450-
1850.” Congress of the Asian Association of World Historians. Vol. 1. 2010.
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