History essay British imperial economic system
Essay This essay will talk about how the British imperial economic system, as well as mercantilism, exploited the American colonists and offered them few benefits. It will also talk about what mercantilism is and how it helped and hurt the colonists. Finally, it will give examples of how the colonists benefited from the British economic system. The reasons given will eventually cause the American colonists to start the American Revolution. Great Britain was the world dominator at this time. They had the strongest navy as well as the strongest economical system in the world. With the addition of America, it did nothing but make Britain’s economical system stronger. They could get certain materials from the
colonies for a cheaper price and not have to buy those products from other countries. Britain began noticing that the colonies were trading goods with other countries and not worrying about Britain. Britain felt like they were losing control of the colonies and wanted the colonists to know that they were still in control. England thought that, “Imperial reorganization would increase the profitability of the colonies and the power of the English government to supervise them “(Brinkley, 61). England forced the colonies into using mercantilism. “Mercantilism greatly enhanced the position of the new merchant capitalists, whose overseas ventures were thought ...
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colonies for a cheaper price and not have to buy those products from other countries. Britain began noticing that the colonies were trading goods with other countries and not worrying about Britain. Britain felt like they were losing control of the colonies and wanted the colonists to know that they were still in control. England thought that, “Imperial reorganization would increase the profitability of the colonies and the power of the English government to supervise them “(Brinkley, 61). England forced the colonies into using mercantilism. “Mercantilism greatly enhanced the position of the new merchant capitalists, whose overseas ventures were thought to benefit the entire nation and to be worthy of government assistance. It also increased competition among nations. England tried to find markets for its exports while trying to limit its imports. Over all mercantilism was supposed to increase the wealth of the nation as a whole” (Brinkley 23). Mercantilism also had all supplies carried to and from England in English ships. It also said that certain goods such as sugar, tobacco, ginger, wool, and tobacco would stop through English ports. These examples helped and hurt the colonies. It helped them because they could ship the products they made to England and get money in return. It hurt the colonies because England no longer bought wheat, flour, fish, and other goods from the colonies. Therefore, the colonies had to find other countries that would buy their products. Americans began building more ships in order to send more supplies over to countries like Spain, France, and Denmark. These countries also wanted other products such as wheat, flour, and fish. To meet the demands, colonists began to fish more and to make these products. This helped increase business relationships between the colonies and these countries (Brinkley, 61). Other industries grew out of mercantilism also. Some of these industries were whale hunting, carriage making, furniture making, silver smiths, and dress makers. Due to these industries and others, it made the American economy the best in the world. England did not like what was going on with the colonies so they began passing laws that would limit the colonies’ trading rights. These laws were called the Navigation Acts. The Navigation acts outlawed Dutch ships in English ports. England said the only way the colonies could export goods was through English ships. Another law said that, all imported goods coming to America from Europe had to stop at England to get taxed. Finally, England over saw all ships that left the colonies, so that they could not trade with foreign countries (Brinkley, 61). These laws hurt all business relation with other countries and benefited England. These laws and other laws that were still to come in the future gave the colonies all the reason to revolt against England. Even though the English put strict laws and taxes on the colonies, they still had a great economical system, and had some benefits come out, from the harsh laws. Through these examples, you will see that the colonies were being held down by the English and had great evidence to revolt and start their own country. Works Cited Brinkley, Alan. American History: A Survey. New York. McGraw-Hill, 2003.