The very first line in the chapter from the guest book of Cape Coast Castle made me realize how lucky I am. Slaves were treated so poorly and lived in such harsh conditions that they probabaly hated thier lives and despised the people who ruled over them. I am very grateful that times have changed and people aren't suffering as badly as they used to.
Some goods that were at a high demand include: cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, and pepper which were used as condiments or preservatives. Other products of the East such as Chinese silk, Indian cottons, rhubarb for medical purposes, emeralds, rubies, and sapphires were also in great demand.
There is a line that says silver "went around the world and made the world go round." This increased supply of a precious metal traveled from country to country and people wanted to have it. It became an obsession to obtain silver and live life based around it and what you could buy or sell for it. In it's global journeys, silver transformed much that it touched. It's wealthy European elite lived in luxury, with all the goods of Europe and Asia and their disposal. People would travel for weeks on end to get silver. Greed consumed the people and of course they wanted to obtain something of great vaule even if it meant putting their lives in danger.
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