Why did Adam Smith support laissez-faire?

Answer 1

Adam Smith believed that the "invisible hand" of the market was a completely corrective measure and would lead to economic growth for all. He also lived at a time before economics was thoroughly studied and would lead credence to the idea that some government involvement is useful for improving the ascendancy of economies. Conversely, most governments in his day used regulations as a weapon to stifle economic growth, such as how mercantilism forbade trade between colonies and required all trade to be between the colonies and the metropole.