The invention of the wheel by the Sumerians revolutionized the transportation. Wagons could be used to carry heavy loads. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers made transport of goods easy and economical. Riverboats were used to transport goods for trade. Strong currents moved the boats downstream, but because of the current they could travel in one direction only. The boats had to be dismantled after the trip downstream. The Mesopotamians used three types of boats: wooden boats with a triangular sail, the turnip or Guffa boat which was shaped like a tub, made of reeds and covered with skin, and the kalakku which was a raft of timbers supported by inflated animal skins.
The rise of the middle class came from two different groups of people, upper class families were one becuase of the amount of money it took to become a succesful merchant/ trader. The other group was merchants from the lower class who were often looked down upon but because of their succes in their respective guilds they were brought together. The middle class grew in importance due to the fact that there was a significant growth in the number of towns. The rise of the middle class created a merchant class, responsible for the growth of cities, increased trade, and lifted people from the lower class.
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The Navigation Act of 1660 forbade colonists from trading specific items such as sugar and cotton w/ any country other than England. You have to pass through English ports. Many colonists wanted more freedom to buy or sell goods wherever they could get the best price.
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King Leopold II treated the Congo as his personal property and exploited the country for slave labor, rubber, and ivory. The Belgian Congo was established in 1908 after the international community pressured the Belgian government to annex the country and take it out of the king's hands. Conditions in Belgian Congo improved as the Belgian government supported education and established trade. Nevertheless, the people of the Congo increased their demands for independence.
In common sense, Paine suggested that American independence from Britain was an absolute necessity, since he thought it was absurd for such a small island to rule over such a vast territory.
