In all of the articles that were read, I have come to a conclusion that all of these different civilizations were somewhat equal when it came to power. They all had very useful strengths and put them to use in different ways. Although different circumstances, all of these letter dealt with conveying a point and swaying somebody to think or do as the person that wrote the letter felt.
Starting with document 10.9 I feel as if the Dutch felt themselves equal to the Chinese. They acknowledged the fact that both of their countries were plentiful in resources and that they had something that the other country could make use of. In this document, the Dutch wished to expand their trade route to China but choose to go about this by, in my opinion, buttering them up with gifts. In this instance, the Chinese is in control because the Dutch needed them for trade purposes however, I believe that the Dutch is somewhat in control as well because they knew what to do to get the Chinese on bored. They started their letter by talking about God and also congratulating the Chinese on their victories. This was extremely smart on the Dutch’s behave because it made it seem like the Chinese was a strong force to be reckoned with and also showed them that other people realized it. In document 10.10 Francis
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First, he talked about their friendship and all of the benefits of it. But as we see in other instances all of the letters start off with friendly gestures but quickly jump right into the point. He went on to tell the king that eight of his ships attacked 14 ships from India that had goods on them that were coming to them. He expressed a sort of frustration that this affected the trade that was in place. He asked that the captured be released and all of their goods be given back in order to keep their friendship. This was his way of keeping the peace and not burning a bridge so quickly if they