Mercantilism In The 1500s To The 1700s

4. What was the Revolutionary movement, at its core, really all about? Was it about the amount of taxation, the right of Parliament to tax, the political corruption of Britain and the virtue of America, the right of a king to govern America, or the colonies’ growing sense of national identity apart from Britain? Was the Revolution truly a radical overturning of government and society—the usual definition of a revolution—or something far more limited or even conservative in its defense of traditional rights?

Mercantilism operated in the colonies. Mercantilism is the belief that the colonies existed to gain wealth for the mother country. England regulated trade by forbidding the colonies to trade with each other or other European countries. England took control over major port cities along the east coast and as a result, they were able to reduce the number of ships that traveled to other colonies and countries for trade. Because of this, the colonies saw a decrease in exported goods due to the British blockages. Also, England’s naval force was so powerful that other nations became intimidated by them and they stopped exporting goods to the colonies. As a result, inexpensive imports because rare and very expensive. The main purpose of this strategy was to benefit the British economy. Between 1651and 1673, the Parliament established four Navigation Acts and they were meant to ensure proper mercantilism trade balance. These acts established that only English ships could carry cargo to colonial ports, goods such as tobacco and rice could only be shipped to England and Scotland, the Parliament would pay bounties to colonists who made certain goods and raising the price of those goods in other nations, and colonists could not compete with English manufacturers. This was also an unsuccessful strategy because colonists disagreed and they went ahead and secretly began

Key Terms and People mercantilism Mercantilism is a theory that states that a country grows to be strong and important through money that comes from a favorable balance of trade, meaning that a country must export more goods than it imports. Mercantilism kept England powerful, as the colonies provided raw goods that were used to make ships for the navy. Also, the raw goods were used to make products that were sold to other countries. England also had no cause to buy certain products from other countries. It was able to export more products than it imported, keeping the county wealthy and powerful.

In this decade, Great Britain was determined to colonize and expand the nation. The British passed laws that were beneficial toward their economy, yet damaged the American economy. The British injustice toward the American colonies were factors that caused the American Revolution. The Americans continued to lead rebellions toward the British and sought for freedom in their own country.

English mercantilism harmed the development of North America During the development of North America, the English government controlled majority of trade. The American colonists were tenants to English mercantilism. The English deliberately regulated international trade and production in the North American colonies to help benefit the English economy. They wanted to mainly have complete control over the colonists’ trade in order to increase national wealth. The colonies were harmed because England controlled every level of trade.

Historians have argued the American Revolution was a result of the political influence of the British, and the colonists were trying to retain their rights. On the other hand, other historians contended that the colonists were more concerned on economic issues implemented by the British government. In conducting some research, I found arguments on the causes that ranged from military, religious, political, and economic interactions between Britain and the colonies. The Revolution developed due to a mesh of complex social, political, and economic factors.

The American Colonists viewpoint of the Revolutionary War was really just about them wanting their independence from the Britain rule. The colonist came together to rise up and fight against Great Britain. One really famous quote from the colonist standpoint was said by Patrick Henry, “Give me liberty or give me death”. This showed how much emotion was connected with the American’s wanting their independence (Wirt, William, 19732). The Britain’s point of view of this subject was that they wanted to rule over everything (“Iron Tears”, 20053).

British imperial policy did not help the colonies; they counted colonists as citizens but denied them rights. The theory of the mercantile system assumed that economies could not grow by themselves and that only a limited amount of resources, such as gold and silver, remained. It was assumed that a nation could only gain wealth through competition and careful management. However, how did this affect the colonies? Because of the theory, the colonies were only viewed as a source of raw materials.

The period 1750 to 1776 is referred to as the “Road to Revolution”, tension slowly rises between the colonist and England. Most of the first settlers in America came from England and they considered themselves Englishmen. At first they were very dependent on their mother country. The mother country provided money, supplies, and protection. As the colony began to grow the colonist began to see that they were not “British” they were their own people. During the “Road to Revolution” the colonist began to realize that the other colonies all had the same goal in mind and they must become a single and unified nation in order to survive. By the eve of the Revolution the patriotism had built up to such an extent that the colonist believed they could

The purpose of mercantilism was to increase power, wealth and self sufficiency for the mother countries. England, Spain and france would often compete with each other to gain colonies in regions such as North America, South America, Asia, and Africa. Raw materials such as lumber, wool, iron, cotton, tobacco, rice, and indigo were what England needed to be able to create manufactured goods. However, mercantilism in the American colonies were more dependent on the manufactured products of England. The Navigation Acts that were a series of laws were enforced by England so that they could make the American colonies more dependent on the manufactured goods of England.The American colonists were expected to buy manufactured goods like cloth, furniture,knives,

The transatlantic trade was a strong competition between England, France, and Spain. As the competition grew England created the concept of mercantilism to improve its position. Mercantilism was the economic system in how the government negotiated the economy to increase national wealth. Between 1651 and 1733, Parliament approved 4 different mercantilist regulations to improve England’s control. One type of regulation was enumerated products, which were items made in the colonies and enumerated by Parliament which could be shipped from the colony of origin to certain locations.

In Britain’s eyes, Colonial America was nothing but another piece of land that earned them money, but as it began to be acknowledged by other powerful countries for its self-sufficient lifestyle, it shaped an identity, ultimately becoming the strong, independent nation, it is today. However, it was anything but easy for America to form in the first place. From 1765 to 1783, the American Revolution took place and was overall, the process used to overthrow the oppressive British and purge them from America. Britain’s establishment of harsh policies concerning many freedoms, political ideologies, and economic rights obligated the colonists to fight for their independence. The American Colonies thought that they were ready and able to create a society with the power of unity, supported by democracy and economic prosperities. The American revolution was eventually instigated by the identity of American colonists of which evolved through the formation of unity, political, and economic influences.

During the time period of 1763-1789, the British colonies in America, under more direct control by the British crown as a result of the end of salutary neglect brought about by the proclamation of 1763, were taxed unfairly without any direct representation in parliament. The colonists, choosing to rebel against their oppressors, not for power or status, but for the ideals of principle and freedom, waged a war against the British to be a separate nation apart from England. The American revolution, as a result of being based solely on principle as well as ending in victory for the under-resourced colonies, was truly stunning and by definition, revolutionary.

The American Revolution was a fight for independence, representation, and a battle against an English system of injustice. Due to an extended period of salutary neglect, the American colonies had become accustomed to self-rule, resulting in their resistance to British control. Both preceding and following the French and Indian War, England attempted to exercise its suffocating and unwanted authority in the 13 colonies. This was causation for colonial unrest, resulting in the American Revolution soon after. Although the French and Indian War could be seen as a mere preceding event, it is clear that this war helped fuel the flames of the American Revolution through the exodus of the French, the British attitude towards the colonists, and the

The American Revolution was a war fought between Great Britain and the American colonies over independence from 1775 to 1783 which resulted in a fundamental change in American politics, society, and economics. The American Revolution began as a result of Great Britain taxing the colonies to cover the debts accumulated through the French and Indian War. While the majority of the colonies stayed loyal to their ‘Mother Land’, some of the colonist felt resentment toward England. Some colonist felt that England had no right to tax the colonies, while they had no representation in parliament. This created a divide within in the colonies between those who were in favor of independence-Patriots, and those who were still loyal to the Crown-