England and Its Colonies Mercantilism, the Dominion of New England, and Salutary Neglect. England and Its Colonies

Mercantilism Mercantilism: the ideal that self-sufficiency is the goal of a country. Britain did not have many of the raw materials that were found in its colonies. They could export these back to England while also selling their manufactured goods to the colonist.

COLONIES OF THE 1600’S Colonies were sending Britain large amounts of raw materials such as;

A question… Spain, France, and Holland also received lumber and tobacco for trade, and this was viewed as an economic threat… why?

Answer! Mercantilist theory viewed foreign trading as something that came at the expense of the mother colony, therefore trading with other nations meant that England lost out in the profits they could have made.

The navigation acts In 1651, the British Parliament passed a series of laws restricting colonial trade . These were referred to as the Navigation Acts. They included regulations of vessel types, certain exported goods, and port restrictions. The Navigation Act benefited the English as well as the colonist. These acts made all goods pass through English docks, therefore jobs opened on the docks for the English as well as gaining substantial import taxes. What business boomed for the colonist?

Tensions emerge Although some prospered off the Navigation Acts, many resented the British trade restrictions. Smuggling and illegal trading was prevalent for years. In 1684, King Charles II began cracking down on colonial merchants and leaders in Massachusetts. England revokes the colony’s corporate charter thus making it into a royal colony.

The dominion of new england When King James II took over in 1685, he placed the Northern colonies under one singular ruler in Boston. The land from southern Maine to New Jersey was united into the Dominion of New England. Sir Edmund Andros was placed as the leader and immediately made several enemies amongst the Puritans by questioning their religion , restricting their local assemblies, and levying taxes without input from local leaders.

The glorious revolution King James II was an unpopular king due to his Roman Catholic bias. His lack of respect for Parliament and Protestantism caused the government to invite William of Orange (son-in-law of King James II) to England. When he traveled from Holland with his army, James II fled the country. William took the throne in 1689 with his wife Mary. This spurred colonist to arrest Andros and his royal councilors.

Aftermath… Although Massachusetts charter was restored, the English parliament made several changes. The new charter of 1691 called for the king to appoint the governor and required more religious toleration and non-Puritan representation in the colonial assembly.

Salutary Neglect After 1688, the fierce competition in Europe between England and France caused the British to turn their attention away from the colonist. The colonies were expected to continue exporting raw materials to the mother colony, and as long as this continued they were left alone. Salutary Neglect: a beneficial relaxation of British regulations in the colonies as long as economic loyalty from the colonies continued.

The seeds of self-government Although governors were appointed by the king, the colonist had the ability to control these leaders. The colonial governors were paid by the colonial assemblies, not the king, therefore the governors were very attentive to the colonist demands and this allowed for the approval of laws and appointment of judges. Salutary Neglect only worked on one condition… Colonies must still be loyal to Britain, and this was still a time when colonist were eager to help England as well as themselves. All they wanted was more economic and political freedom. With time this would develop into greater yearnings… that of liberty.

Conclusion Colonies still had little in common with one another and so they were far from uniting to combat the British empire. As we will see in later readings, the North and South were so divergent that their distinct societies and economic differences made them seem as if they were from different countries.

Reminders Homework: Ch3.2 SPNotes (p.72-78)