Silver Trade Dbq Essay

755 Words4 Pages

From 1500 to 1750, silver production in the world was led by Spanish Colonial America and Tokugawa Japan. Silver trade was lead through a connection between four great continents, but there was no direct trade link between America and Asia. In that time, limits were placed on the amount of silver spent, prices increased and decreased depending on the supply of silver and silver production led to more importation and exportation of goods, as well as new ways to pay also developed due to silver production. In the 1570s, the Ming Chinese government stated that all taxes and trade fees should be paid in silver. Most silver flowed over the Pacific, out of Acapulco, to Manila, ending in China. The amount of silver present in the world led to the creation of limits and economic changes. Limits were placed on the amount of silver obtained. In Doc #1, wedding expenses were prominent, the people with less silver knew how to …show more content…

Most of the goods flowed from West to East. In Doc #4, Japan trades with the Portuguese. The Portuguese bring white silk, gold, perfume and porcelain and in return Japan only brings silver. The silver that Portuguese obtains, is used as an advantage point against China. The Japanese bring the silver in return for China’s gold. In Doc #6, the process to obtain the silver in Spain is to evacuate it from a very rich black flint. It takes thousands of workers and it is a very strenuous process. Spanish records show that millions of silver coins have been taken out. In Doc #7, Chinese merchants trade with Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean in order to obtain the goods they need in return for what they have. The Chinese merchants have found that when they trade with the Philippines they only return with silver coins. Manila had no purpose besides in the matter of trade to obtain silver and silk. China was an attraction of silver globally for over a