Question of the Day Answer & Explanation

Advanced Placement-Style United States History
Question of the Day--Answer and Explanation

A Beaver Felt Hat
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

Question 955:

The once incredibly profitable beaver fur-trapping trade in the American West virtually disappeared in the 1850s because

    (A) the beaver population declined significantly due to Lyme disease
    (B) intense competition between French, British, and American trappers drove the price down
    (C) Indian tribes and trappers could not cooperate in the beaver trade
    (D) beaver hats went out of fashion in Europe
    (E) 19th century animal protection groups protested the wanton destruction of beavers

Answer:
(D) beaver hats went out of fashion in Europe

Explanation:

The beaver fur trade between Indians and Europeans began as early as the voyage of Samuel de Champlain in 1608. Beaver fur was used for both hats and coats and became hugely popular in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. A growing fur trade brought French, British, and American trappers to the Rocky Mountain west, where the beaver population was massive. While overtrapping did reduce the supply of beavers in the 1840s, most historians point to the desire for silk rather than beaver hats for the decline in the fur trade.

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