According to Sei Shonagon -a Japanese author in ancient Japan- Chinese influence was reflected in the life of the Court.
Aproximatelly in the eighth century, Japan built a city in the central part of the territory called Heian-kyo, which means "peacefulness.", what today is known by Kyoto.
During the period of Heian(794-1185), Japan lived periods of stability and the aristocracy of the Imperial Court dedicated part of their lives to spread culture, art, poetry, and social organization that somewhat was influenced by China Buddhism, and Confucianism.
And as times went by, this segment started to move away from those influences to develop their own poetry and arts, as Japanese aristocracy considered that art was one of the most important human accomplishments.
Plantation owners turned to the enslaved Africans as a labor force because they were not paying them for their work, instead they were just providing shelter and food for them. Also, they had total control over them because they owned them, thus were able to make them work as much as they wanted and the slaves couldn't do anything about it.
After Mexico's defeat on the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo came into action. The U.S. was recquired to pay 15 million dollars as compensation for damages, while taking ownership of the territories of California, half of New Mexico, most of Arizona, Nevada, Utah and parts of Wyoming and Colorado.
Mexicans that were settled in these territories, had the choice to relocate within the new limits of their country, or stay and receive American citizenship with full civil rights. This had quite big implications in U.S. culture as it became more racially diverse. In the following censuses between 1850 and 1920 most annexed mexicans were counted as "white", but in reality, segregation only grew with time and continues to do so until this day, with mexican-native americans being considered foreigners almost universally. At the same time, mexican migration to these areas also continued to rise over the years, making the contrast bigger.
Politically, we can say Mexico wasn't in a bad position in terms of their negotiation power. The U.S. had shown itself hesitant to annex Mexico's territories and having deep domestic divisions in regards to the aims and justification for the expansion. However, the military power of the U.S. overshadowed all of that and their victory was definite. The treaty established a pattern of political inequality between the two countries, and this lopsided relationship has stalked Mexican-U.S. relations ever since.
Hope this helps!
I believe the answer would be the last option. A resource has value, and people are willing to pay for it most likely because the resource is scarce. When a resource is not enough or the supply is low as compared to its demand, then most likely that price or value of it would increase.
