How did mercantilism influence England's colonies laws and foreign policy?

Answer 1

In basic terms, mercantilism refers to the economic policy through which frequent government regulation and high tariffs worked in correspondence with imperialistic colonialism in order to bring wealth back to the mother country at the expense of rival nations. The overall goal was to minimize imports into the "homeland", while at the same time maximizing exports.

While mercantilism was the predominant economic policies of most European states in the early modern era, it was most prevalent in the kingdoms of England and France. With both having recently begun colonizing abroad, it was discovered that trading with one's colonies was a simple way of obtaining a captive market.

Like France, the English imposed strict laws and regulations on its colonies, forbidding trade with other European nations and forcing them to import goods from England alone (the Navigation Acts were a prime example). English merchants and the government often worked as partners to ensure the process remained smooth. To a degree, mercantilism was successful in its goal of enriching the mother country as England soon grew to become a dominant power in Europe. However, it also proved to be damaging to the colonies and the empire as a whole, which required frequent protection from raids, pirates, and invasion.

Because the government promised to protect merchant interests in return for a cut of the profits, England, and later Great Britain's, mercantilist policies often lead to conflict, be it economic or open warfare. This was especially true in the Seven Years' War, when Great Britain fought against France and Spain for supremacy in North America. Another prominent example is when the British seized the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (now known as New York) in 1664, which had been captured from Sweden only a few years prior.

Mercantilism also had a lasting effect on British military priorities. Because of the need to defend a vast and extensive empire, the government invested huge sums of money into the Royal Navy, which grew to become the defining source of British hegemony in later years.

Eventually, however, public opinion towards mercantilist policy began to fall. After losing their "Thirteen Colonies", the British gradually came to abandon mercantilism in favor of a global free trade doctrine, finding that it improved relations with the remaining overseas territories while still boosting overall domestic wealth. The parliamentary system of government that the British employed allowed a relatively smooth transition towards the new economic policy, in sharp contrast to other major European powers under absolute monarchs who continued mercantilism well into the late 18th century.

Answer 2

The ideas for colonial laws was to get as many colonies as possible and make them pay directly to England. The laws specifically made colonies sell sugar, tobacco, and cotton directly back to England. If colonists wanted to sell to any foreign colony they had to first bring it to England by ship that also came from England. Then pay England taxes. That was called the Navigation Act it usually discouraged colonies to sell to other colonies for obvious the reasons of high costs.

Answer 3

In basic terms, mercantilism refers to the economic policy through which frequent government regulation and high tariffs worked in correspondence with imperialistic colonialism in order to bring wealth back to the mother country at the expense of rival nations. The overall goal was to minimize imports into the "homeland", while at the same time maximizing exports.

While mercantilism was the predominant economic policies of most European states in the early modern era, it was most prevalent in the kingdoms of England and France. With both having recently begun colonizing abroad, it was discovered that trading with one's colonies was a simple way of obtaining a captive market.

Like France, the English imposed strict laws and regulations on its colonies, forbidding trade with other European nations and forcing them to import goods from England alone (the Navigation Acts were a prime example). English merchants and the government often worked as partners to ensure the process remained smooth. To a degree, mercantilism was successful in its goal of enriching the mother country as England soon grew to become a dominant power in Europe. However, it also proved to be damaging to the colonies and the empire as a whole, which required frequent protection from raids, pirates, and invasion.

Because the government promised to protect merchant interests in return for a cut of the profits, England, and later Great Britain's, mercantilist policies often lead to conflict, be it economic or open warfare. This was especially true in the Seven Years' War, when Great Britain fought against France and Spain for supremacy in North America. Another prominent example is when the British seized the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam (now known as New York) in 1664, which had been captured from Sweden only a few years prior.

Mercantilism also had a lasting effect on British military priorities. Because of the need to defend a vast and extensive empire, the government invested huge sums of money into the Royal Navy, which grew to become the defining source of British hegemony in later years.

Eventually, however, public opinion towards mercantilist policy began to fall. After losing their "Thirteen Colonies", the British gradually came to abandon mercantilism in favor of a global free trade doctrine, finding that it improved relations with the remaining overseas territories while still boosting overall domestic wealth. The parliamentary system of government that the British employed allowed a relatively smooth transition towards the new economic policy, in sharp contrast to other major European powers under absolute monarchs who continued mercantilism well into the late 18th century.