1. England’s Colonial Empire
Mercantilism and
England’s Colonial Empire

2. England and the Colonies 1640—1660
1640s = upheaval in America
Indian warfare, instability, and a general lack of direction from England (Eng. Civil War)
•Interruption of trade and supplies made colonies more vulnerable to Native attack (King Phillip’s War)
•Founding of New England Confederation (1643)
Military alliance between Plymouth, MA Bay, and Ct
made clear that colonies could look after their own interests if need be

3. The English Restoration and the Empire
• Also during the 17th century, the American colonies increasingly became a part of the international world/trade network increased economic stability & increased wealth/value.
1660: Charles II assumed the throne and achieved political stability for England.
• Once peace was achieved, English leaders attempted to increase their control of the now valuable colonies.
Charles’ first step was to create 6 “Restoration Colonies” (NY, NJ, DE, PA, NC, SC)

4. Mercantilism
Mercantilism : view of economic world as collection of nation states who compete for shares of finite wealth.
– Each nation should regulate trade and
production in order to become economically self-
sufficient.
– The colonies’ role in this process was strictly to provide
raw materials to the “mother country” to fuel that
country’s industry. (Seeking “balance of trade” in mother country’s favor)
England had adopted this theory in the 1650s And began enforcing it once political upheaval had subsided.

6. The First Navigation Acts, 1650s
Motivation: London merchants convinced Parliament to
protect them from (Dutch) competition.
Goal: Limit Dutch trade in the colonies 
Navigation Act of 1651:
• Exports/imports between England and her colonies had to use English ships with majority English crews.
Response: Colonists wanted option to use cheaper non-
English shipping (Colonial/Dutch)options . . .
Mostly ignored or, at best, only partially obeyed as England struggled for internal stability.

7. Navigation Acts of 1660s & 1670s
– First Charles II, then James II, expanded upon—and began to enforce—the Navigation Acts.
Navigation Acts of 1660s & 1670s
– Allowed trade of enumerated items with England only (ex. wool, tobacco, sugar, fur)
– Demanded most imports into colonies come exclusively from England OR pass through English ports for tax purposes.
England then sent English government customs officials (for the first time) directly to the colonial ports to enforce these additional laws.

8. The Dominion of New England
• New Englanders in particular paid little attention to the new Navigation Acts. So upon coming to power James II (1685) sought to keep the colonies in line 
The Dominion of New England (1686)
– the New England colonies were combined with New York and New Jersey into one entity, the Dominion of New England (MA Bay charter was revoked).
-- Sir Edmund Andros was put in charge of the Dominion
– The representative assemblies of each of the colonies were dissolved
– Andros also created new taxes and increased existing ones

9. The Glorious Revolution (1688)
-- The Dominion was a disaster and was a contributing factor in James II losing power in 1688 
In England
– Protestant William and Mary overthrew James II (who practiced Catholicism!)
Constitutional Monarchy reaffirmed
Created Board of Trade (1696) to oversee trade relations

10. The Glorious Revolution in the Colonies
Rebellion against Governor Andros and the dissolution of the Dominion of New England
Old colonial charters restored
Parliament pushed for all colonies to be “royal”/have governorPlymouth and MA Bay combined in 1691
Legislative assemblies still held considerable powers
Sir Edmond Andros

11. Salutary Neglect Moving Towards Self-Rule
Beginning around 1700, England’s attention shifted away from the colonies (and toward imperial wars with Spain and France)
an era of “Salutary Neglect”
(Salutary=“beneficial”/ “healthy”)
Navigation Acts again went unenforced.
At this point, England didn’t care as long as the colonies still made money for the “mother” country.
Citizens thus became more attached to/protective of their colonial legislatures—if England wasn’t going to protect/guide them then they would have to fend for themselves . . .

12. The Rise of Colonial Assemblies
In the absence of direct leadership, colonial legislatures took control of local taxation and appointments.
At times, legislatures refused to pay salary of royal governor.
10 legislatures established “land banks” to print paper currency when hard money (gold and silver) were in short supply Against Parliament’s wishes.

13. Evolution of the 13 Colonies
Review your Colonies Chart, and consider what you’ve read about the settlement of England’s 13 colonies . . .
In what ways were the colonial regions (N, Mid, & S) unique?
What characteristics do they have in common?

14. Essential Questions
What was the role of mercantilism in the colonies? What were the positive and negative effects of the policy on the colonies?
2. In what ways did the relationship between the colonies and the British empire change in the decades following the Glorious Revolution? What was the impact of those changes?