Global Test 2 Primary sources

Louis XIV's letter to the people of Marseille (1664)

WHO/WHY: King Louis XIV wrote to the merchants of Marseille right after Colbert took over the economy, to convince them the crown would back trade. MAIN POINTS: He promises a royal council of commerce, a million livres a year for manufacturing and shipping, money for the East and West India Companies, an end to river tolls, better roads, protection for merchants abroad, a House of Commerce at court, and subsidies for every ton shipped. Merchants should bring their business to Colbert. SIGNIFICANCE: A clear example of Colbertisme, French mercantilism led by the state, and of absolutism running the economy from the top down. HOW TO IDENTIFY: The king's "we," Marseille, livres, tolls, manufactures, subsidies per ton, and Colbert's name.

Bacon's Manifesto Concerning the Present Troubles in Virginia (1676)

WHO/WHY: Nathaniel Bacon wrote it in Virginia in July 1676 after Governor Berkeley declared him a rebel, to defend himself against the charge of treason. MAIN POINTS: He denies being a rebel and says if defending the oppressed is treason, let God judge. He attacks Berkeley's "grandees" as low born "favorites" and "parasites" who sucked up public money like sponges. He admits he hates all Indians, even the "protected and darling Indians," blames the governor's beaver trade monopoly, and claims loyalty to the king. SIGNIFICANCE: Shows the rebellion's two causes, class anger at a corrupt elite and a violent demand for war on all Native peoples. HOW TO IDENTIFY: A defensive tone denying treason, "grandees," "sponges," "darling Indians," and the beaver trade.

Bacon's Declaration in the Name of the People (1676)

WHO/WHY: Bacon issued it on July 30, 1676, signed "General by Consent of the People," to formally charge Berkeley and order his arrest. MAIN POINTS: A numbered list of charges: unjust taxes for favorites, ignorant favorites made judges, a beaver trade monopoly, protecting Indians, calling back the army, and trying to start a civil war. It names Berkeley and his councilors, gives them four days to surrender, and says anyone hiding them is a traitor. SIGNIFICANCE: Shows colonists claiming to speak for "the people" against royal officials, and the fear of poor colonists uniting that later pushed Virginia toward racial slavery. HOW TO IDENTIFY: Numbered "For having…" charges, Berkeley named directly, a list of names, the four day deadline, and "Commons of Virginia."

Thomas Pindar, "Some Considerations on the late Act of Parliament for settling the trade to Africa" (1707)

WHO/WHY: Pindar wrote this London pamphlet for the Royal African Company to persuade Parliament to give the company back control of the slave trade. MAIN POINTS: Caribbean plantations make England rich but cannot survive without enslaved Africans. Forts on the African coast are essential. The Trade with Africa Act let private traders in for 10 percent, but competition raised the price of captives from about 3 pounds to 10 to 12 pounds, the company went broke, and rivals gained ground. SIGNIFICANCE: Shows slavery at the center of the English empire and enslaved people treated purely as a commodity, plus the monopoly versus open trade debate. HOW TO IDENTIFY: Numbered points, "Negroes," plantations, forts and castles, the Company, private traders, ten per cent, and appeals to Parliament.

Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations (1776)

WHO/WHY: Scottish economist Adam Smith published it in Britain to explain where national wealth comes from and to attack mercantilism. MAIN POINTS: The pin factory shows the division of labor multiplies output. It grows from the human urge to "truck, barter, and exchange." We get dinner from the butcher, brewer, and baker's self-interest, not kindness. Saving builds capital, and real wealth is what land and labor produce, not gold. An "invisible hand" turns self-interest into public good, and monopoly is the "sole engine of the mercantile system." Government should only defend, give justice, and build public works. SIGNIFICANCE: The main critique of mercantilism and the base of free market economics, answering Colbert and the Navigation Acts. HOW TO IDENTIFY: Pins, division of labor, butcher and baker, self-love, invisible hand, mercantile system, monopoly.