File:The dawn of American history in Europe (1912) (14577709570).jpg

Identifier: dawnofamericanhi00nida (find matches)
Title: The dawn of American history in Europe
Year: 1912 (1910s)
Authors: Nida, William Lewis
Subjects:
Publisher: New York, The Macmillan company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: Sloan Foundation

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
inst its rival towns. Rights of Trade Guilds. — To these trade guilds belongedall merchants, butchers, and fishermen. They had theexclusive right of trading within the town. Merchantsfrom other towns might bring in goods and sell them whole-sale, but they were forbidden to keep shop and sell at retail.The government of the town was entirely in the hands ofthe guilds, and there was often great strife between the mer-chants or trade guilds, and the craft guilds. Sometimesbloodshed resulted. The unskilled, or common workers,had no voice in the town governments. Laws About Trade. — The only way to be sure thatstrange traders had not stolen their goods was to requirewitnesses to be present when bargains or trades were made.In this way merchants could prove that they had comehonestly by their wares. Cattle and swine were, in thosedark times, the chief riches of men, and they could easily bestolen; strict laws were made stating where and when cattle 184 DAWN OF AMERICAN HISTORY IN EUROPE
Text Appearing After Image:
COMMERCE IN THE DARK AGES 185 could be bought or sold. If a merchant could not provethat he had purchased his cattle or goods, he was treatedas a thief. Such,laws were a great help to honest dealers. The Market. — Another advantage given to town mer-chants was that of a market. The townspeople would notallow traders or farmers to come to town singly and sell theirproduce, because they might charge too much for it, or theymight take all business from the town shopkeepers. Sothe towns established certain days called market days,perhaps one or two a week, and a certain market place ; andall country people with articles to dispose of were requiredto sell only on market day and at the market place. Theyeven tried to force farmers to sell out before the marketclosed. This plan, it was believed, would keep prices low.After the famihes had purchased enough for their needs,shopkeepers were allowed to buy goods to retail from theirshops during the rest of the week. Import Taxes. — Each town

Note About Images