American Fur Trade Company example essay topic

Caroline Phelps provides an insightful look into the changing face of America including: The changing American economy, the prominence of the American Fur Company, and a shift in white and Indian relations. The years of Caroline Phelps' life are some of the most significant years of our countries existence. There were many revolutionary modifications to our country and through this journal we can get a clear perspective of life in the mid 1800's. We pick up with Caroline Phelps' Life on March second, 1830. This is an important day in her life, as it is her wedding day. William Phelps, her husband is a rugged frontier fur trader.

Caroline's parents did not approve of William because of his jagged lifestyle. "He (her father) said William was wild and careless and I would have to live like a squaw if I married him". Throughout the next few years we see some character traits of Caroline. She lives a very demanding lifestyle; her husband is hardly home and is gone for months at a time. Caroline also deals with many hardships with little complaint showing she will do what it takes to get by.

"I was so sick I could hardly get along and an old Indian carried my child on his back. We went up a cliff that had cedar bushes to pull up by. The bushes gave way and I rolled down I don't know how far and injured my nose. It bled all over my clothes. I was fatigued. I thought I would never get there.

By this time, my dress was covered with blood and my face and hands besmeared all over". This quote clearly demonstrates Caroline's ability to persevere through almost anything. During her life Caroline had three kids, one of which is doubtful be her husbands. There is speculation that it may be an Indians'. Caroline learns to become trusted friends with the Indians, William's business partners. The Indians do many things for the Phelps' including; taking them places, guiding them to their destinations, and even helping move things from their houses.

This can be seen in the following quote, "I then gathered a few things and got the Indians to take them to a little hill where Eliza was". Caroline also plays a crucial part in the operation of her husbands fur trade business. She does all the behind the scenes work including keeping the store up, and the accounting. She even helps do some of the hard labor. "In the spring I helped pack the skins as we had no man to help William".

There is no doubt Caroline is a versatile strong willed woman. Not only does she give us perspective of her personal life, but many of the changes facing the frontier. Whether Caroline knew it or not the United States economy was rapidly changing. Unaware to Caroline at the time of her journal (1830-1841) the fur trade would be dead by the 1850's. There were many reasons for the shift in the economy that was slowly in preparation for the great industrial revolution. One of these reasons is, cheaper more durable silk fabric had replaced the popular beaver hats.

In addition, because of all the hunting, it was becoming harder and harder to find these animals and the quality of their pelts was diminishing. This lent itself to even other non-economical problems. As it became harder to find animals, Indians would expand their territories to search for more furs causing conflicts between the tribes. Since the Indians did the grunt of the hunting, and depended on it economically, they all wanted to have the most land to hunt. Caroline shares one of these hardships when she talks about not being able to eat for eleven days straight and becomes very sick. "I did not get up nor eat anything for eleven days, only a little tea".

The demise of the fur trade was also because the Indians were loosing land to each other and the white people as well. The Indians and their land were vital to the Phelps and the Trade community as a whole. Without the Indians the Phelps' had no customers. When they could no longer hunt the whole system collapsed.

It is important to note that William was not the one out doing the hunting. He used more of a barter system to trade furs for goods he acquired in other places. Usually things like: beads, blankets, vermilion dye, copper and brass kettles, axes, guns, silver, ammunition, knives, awls, sugar, and mirrors were traded to the Indians for furs. Caroline also exposes the rise and dominance of the American Fur Company. John Jacob Astor established the American Fur Company, one of the United States first "big companies" in 1808. They made alliances with the big trading companies including Chouteau of St. Louis giving them a total trade monopoly of the Missouri River and its tributaries.

This explains why William eventually joins with the American Fur Trade Company. He spent a lot of time in that region and was feeling the pressures of the monopoly. Caroline even mentions William joining the American Fur Company in 1835. "Now the American fur Company and the Phelps' have joined partnership and William had concluded to move away up the river". The Phelps were working for themselves until 1835 but with the rise of the American fur Company it became almost impossible for independent traders to survive. It's rather impressive that the Phelps were able to stay self-sufficient for so long when many others failed.

Many traders found themselves pressured to merge with larger companies because of mounting government regulations brought about by the American Fur Company lobbyists. This shows the real power of the company. Throughout Caroline Phelps' Diary we see signs of Indian relations with the Phelps' and other tribes. We already know how dependant the Phelps' were on the Indians for trading purposes. "The first of October, our men went up the river and built a house to trade with the Indians". The Indians were the ones doing the hunting.

After they had gathered the animals they would take them to trading posts during the spring and fall. Most of the skins were taken to St. Louis. This explains why William always travels to St. Louis during these two seasons. Indians staying with Caroline while William was away again shows the Phelps' close relation and interaction with the Indians. "The fifth day of March, ice was all out of the river and the men all started down after the keel boat. William hired a little Indian boy to stay with me...

". The following quote exemplifies that both William was heading to St. Louis to trade, and that the Indians were friends of the Phelps'. Indians also liked to drink heavily at certain times especially upon the conclusion of the trading season. "The next night they had a drunken frolic in town and such noises all kinds of noises". Many fur trading companies encouraged heavy drinking. Many Indians would trade furs for alcohol and when they were drunk and it was much easier to manipulate them.

Most college students still practice the Indians celebrations. Just like the Indians college students after a long year usually take the summer off to celebrate. For the duration of Caroline Phelps' diary one thing remains constant, nothing is certain in The United States during this time period. Caroline lives during some very trying times of the US. She will definitely be able to see big changes from the time of her marriage to her death.

One is, the Fur trade would be dead, her families only source of income. Over hunting and trapping pushed many of the animals to extinction, and the Indians would have no land left to hunt. If this wasn't enough the Indians also had the greedy land hungry whites taking even more land from them. Second is that the almighty American Fur Trade Company would be no more. Obviously with the crash of the fur trade there is no need for the American Fur Trade Company.

Third her old friends the Indians now hated whites and were on the break of extinction themselves. "While I was gone away, the Indians had come to rob the house... ". Caroline leaves us clues that no historical book could give us. She lends us a personal perspective of the way things affected people not just facts.