How Did European Trade Between African American

1. For what reasons, according to Thornton in Chapter 2, did trade flourished between Africans and Europeans?
a. Trade between Africans and Europeans flourished due to both Africans and Europeans desire for luxury and a variety of manufactured products. Africans could have easily produced the imports received from Europeans, according to Thornton, but they’re production methods were elaborate and they often took a while to make the high quality goods. In turn, they began to look to European trade for easy options, while still producing their own products. European trade goods were often cheaper or at least easy to obtain and helped Africans keep up with the latest trends. Some believed that Africans were forced to accept European trade for whatever it was because they needed the manufactured goods making them dependent on the trade. Thorton argues that they were both benefiting
In the case of iron, European iron was cheaper and easier to get than the iron produced internally. It also was of poorer quality meaning that it had to be replaced more often and it kept the trade cycle going. On the other hand, Africans made high quality iron and steel that they sold to the Europeans making it seem like Europeans were getting the better end of the deal. Similarly, Africans had an eye for fashion and bought European textiles in addition to their own manufactured clothes. The consumption of the clothes was at a high rate, meaning that they needed to replace them quite often which accounts for the European imports. Europeans also highly sought after African textiles due to their elegant design and high