Trade And Tastes In The Early Modern Era

Trade & Tastes in the Early Modern Era

During the 1700s, the Atlantic system was created which had encircled America, Africa, and Europe. The Europeans bought slaves from Africa and sold them in the Caribbean and the Americas to work in plantations. Trade products such as coffee, sugar, and tobacco were some of the dominant crops grown in plantations during the Early Modern Era. Coffee had a tremendous impact on long distance and European expansion. The use of coffee created social traditions such as coffee houses which became a gathering place for men and each "house" attracted different classes and professions. In the beginning, individuals drank coffee in private more medical purposes. By the mid-seventeenth century, coffee houses had opened all over Europe in cities such as Vienna, London, Oxford, Paris, Venice, and Marseilles. The Dutch were the first to grow
coffee beans in Java and Ceylon. During the early eighteenth century, the English tried to grow their own coffee in Jamaica but were too late. The French and the Dutch traders had already gained control of coffee production and import in Europe. During the late seventeenth and eighteenth century, coffee became the most popular beverage aside from tea and chocolate. There were so many reasons why coffee was so well-liked. For one, it was less expensive than tea and contained more caffeine than chocolate. Coffee also stimulated the body, allowing a person to be more attentive. Plus, coffee was preferred over alcohol because it didn't give people hangovers. The sugar production also made huge profits in Europe and the Americas because of the establishment of slavery. The colonization of the Canary Islands and Madeira was proved a well example in the Early Modern Era because of the colonial governments and plantation systems established in the West Indies. However, a large amount of sugar production first started in Brazil. By the sixteenth century, the price and demand of sugar had gone up because it replaced the use of honey. Sugar was solely used in jellies, jams, and other food products/beverages. In countries such as Brazil, a land owner used an early system similar to sharecropping and leased land to some planters in exchange for a fraction of sugar which was produced. During the mid-seventeenth century, the Brazilian sugar industry had expanded greatly with the help of the Dutch East India Company who made large exportations f slaves from Africa. On the other hand, in 1660 the production of sugar had decreased in Brazil but increased drastically in the West Indies. The tropical climate of these islands gave an advantage to grow a significant amount of sugar canes. Due to the decrease, Brazil wasn't able to give a sufficient supply to Amsterdam which forced the Dutch to look for another sugar supplier. The introduction of slavery and the plantation system were used as models for agricultural production and a motive for European expansion. The tobacco trade also caused a stir in the lives of Europeans.
Tobacco was first presented to Europe when Columbus sailed to the Americas in 1492. By the mid 1500s, the use of tobacco had spread to almost all of Europe. Not only did individuals smoked tobacco for enjoyment, they also thought it would cure illnesses. During the early seventeenth century, all the tobacco which was produced had to be checked through Seville before exportation throughout Europe. King James I first put taxes on tobacco during the later 17th century and laws were created to restrict the farming of this plant in the Americas. People had become addicted to tobacco and efforts to decrease the use failed. The Catholic Church even tried to persuade people to reduce tobacco usage by saying it was sinful to smoke it everyday. In many countries, individuals were punished for smoking in public. A person could be beheaded in Turkey and fined, tortured, or jailed in Russia/Austria. During the later seventeenth century, the use of tobacco had increased drastically despite people knowing it was bad for an individual's
health. The increase of international trade and slavery had helped the in the creation of a consumer society. The flavor of coffee is very strong; I guess individuals enjoyed it more after using sugar to sweeten it during the Early Modern Era. Although coffee, sugar, and tobacco are unhealthy, people still buy it even in present day.