Why is mercantilism important to US History?

Answer 1

Mercantilism was important to the British controlled 13 American colonies. Since the United States was based on the formation of these British ruled colonies, the economic system was of importance to them. It was also a factor in the rebellion of these colonies and their departure from the British Empire.

For a long period of time, the Empire was not focused on her American colonies. Important conquests on a world wide basis were on the minds of Great Britain, as much of the empire had to deal with native peoples who had no "natural loyalty" to the British Crown. This was in spite of the cotton and tobacco crops of the colonies.

Prior to 1783, the colonies enjoyed a good degree of self government;

* The colonies disregarded many of the Crown's mercantilist laws;

* This included the so-called Navigation Acts.

Then due to the French and Indian War, things began to change. The French were defeated by the British in "continental" America. This however, left a bad taste with the British as they did not consider the efforts of the colonists to help in that war to be adequate.

With that in mind, King George and the Tory party became determined to reestablish better control of the colonies and compel the colonies to bear part of the cost of this war.

The economic affect on the colonies was the enforcement of mercantilist laws and to increase taxation as much as possible.

The Mercantilist economic laws were geared to be an aid to the Mother country and less so for her colonies. Colonial defiance of the Crown's mercantile system

was one part of the reason the American colonies rebelled against the British Empire.