The Empire & Its Economic Policy

9/6/2019 THE EMPIRE & ITS ECONOMIC POLICY The British government increasingly attempted to incorporate its N. American colonies into a coherent, hierarchical and imperial structure to pursue mercantilist economic aims (Topic 2.4) Goals and interests of British leaders & colonists led to growing mistrust on both sides of the Atlantic with colonists expressing dissatisfaction over self-rule and trade (Topic 2.7) The Restoration Colonies – The English Civil War . Oliver Cromwell . The Restoration of the Monarchy in 1658 also led to resumption of colonization in America in which faithful were rewarded with land . The Carolinas, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania Oliver Cromwell 1 9/6/2019 The Development of Empire PRIOR to 1660 England governed its colonies haphazardly due to a series of political crises at home English Civil War (1642-1651) Oliver Cromwell’s Commonwealth (1651-1658) Restoration under Charles II (1660) Ends period of “near independence” of colonies . Increased interest in England’s overseas possessions . Reshaping of colonial enterprise BY 1663 - Establishment of new outposts in America New economic laws to keep colonial trade in English hands Navigation Acts (1651, 1660, 1663) ◦ Purpose ◦ Established to counter Dutch & French shipping practices ◦ Buying sugar & American colonial products to sell abroad ◦ Requirements ◦ Colonial goods must be carried on ships owned by English or colonial merchants ◦ Colonists could export sugar & tobacco only to England ◦ Importation of European goods could only come through England ◦ 75% of crews on English vessels had to be English 2 9/6/2019 ◦ Enforcement ◦ Revenue Act of 1673 ◦ Imposed a duty on American exports of sugar and tobacco ◦ Revenue used for custom officials ◦ Military Force ◦ Increased naval fleet to enforce its laws & drive other countries out Mercantilism in colonies ◦ Economic philosophy to increase exports over imports and establish a favorable balance of trade ◦ Colonies are expected to produce raw materials and buy Britain’s manufactured goods NOT compete with its manufacturing ◦ Prohibitions on colonies to manufacture goods: woolen goods, hats, iron products ◦ Board of Trade established to oversees colonial affairs & enforce mercantilism policies (1696) 3 9/6/2019 Colonial avoidance & punishment ◦ Planters & New England merchants continued to trade with Dutch & French Massachusetts is punished for its violations ◦ “The laws of England are bounded within the seas [surrounding it] and do . not reachLost America.”its claim to – Mass.NH: creationBay assembly of a separate colony (1679) . Charter was nullified (1684) Dominion of New England (1686) – Conn, RI, Mass. Bay, Plymouth merged into 1 royal province; all legislative bodies are abolished Glorious Revolution (1688) – William & Mary restore separate colonial gov’ts; Mass becomes a royal colony with royal governor, replaced church membership with property owner for voting/office holding Salutary Neglect (1714-1760) ◦ British ruled colonies with a gentle hand because of the wealth it was generating ◦ Northern colonies develop a strong maritime economy ◦ Colonial farmers began supplying foodstuff to Sugar Islands ◦ 1750s – 2/3 of New England’s exports and 50% from mid-Atlantic colonies went to British & French sugar islands ◦ Transatlantic commerce tripled, American merchants controlled majority of Atlantic trade, reinvested profits into shipbuilding industries = 1/3 of British ships were built in colonies (1770s) ◦ Colonial Industries developed ◦ Refineries to process raw sugar, distilleries turning molasses into rum (2.5 million gal) ◦ Flour mills 4 9/6/2019 ◦ Colonies managed their own affairs without a consistent imperial administration ◦ Rise of colonial assemblies ◦ Representative assemblies limited the power of crown officials ◦ Legislatures controlled taxation and appointments ◦ Led by colonial elite: white property-owning men ◦ Responsive to popular pressurecrowd action, mobs, and destruction of property ◦ Became increasingly resistant to British control End of Salutary Neglect ◦ Because British sugar islands could not consume all of the foodstuff produced by the colonists, they began to sell it to France. In return, the colonists bought cheaper French molasses. ◦ 1733 – Molasses Act: placed high tariffs on French W. Indies produced molasses ◦ Colonists complained of its negative effect on the colonial economy ◦ Colonists resorted to smuggling French molasses and bribing customs agents ◦ 1749 – Charles Townsend vowed to reassert British authority over the American colonies 5 9/6/2019 The Carolinas ◦Charles Town ◦Anthony Ashley Cooper ◦Fundamental Constitution for Carolina ◦Carolina divided between Virginia and Carolina, 1638) small farmers, wealthy planters & rich white Caribbean migrants 6 9/6/2019 New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania . New Amsterdam seized from Dutch and renamed New York . Large landholdings by Dutch patroons and English political allies . New Jersey – ethnic & religious diversity . Pennsylvania – William Penn received a large land grant from Charles II & established a refuge for Quakers . Charter of Liberties (1701) – granted representative assembly to colony The Mid-Atlantic and New England, 1673 . Southern counties form Delaware (1703) 7.

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