I. Growth of the New England „carrying trade‟
Because neither the soil nor the climate of New England was suited to the
cultivation of staple crops for English markets, agricultural activity was,
with few exceptions, confined to the production of foodstuffs for local
consumption. The only products of considerable use to England were
naval stores like masts, tar, and turpentine.
Lacking goods to sell, New Englanders were hard-pressed to obtain
money with which to pay for essential manufactured products purchased
from England. Shortage of labor and capital, and mercantilist restrictions,
combined to impede the development of colonial manufacturing.
It was inevitable, under the circumstances, that the colonists should turn to
shipbuilding and commerce, since New England abounded in timber and
good harbors. By the opening of the 18th century the ship-owners and
merchants were the dominant economic groups of the region.
The „carrying trade‟ was the basis of the New England economy.
Particularly famous was the “Triangular Trade”: sugar and molasses were
purchased in the West Indies and carried to New England for conversion
into rum; rum in turn was sent to Africa, to be swapped for slaves, who
were sold in the West Indies or the Southern colonies. In the 18th century,
70 or more New England ships were engaged in this trade, which became
the basis of several American fortunes. Approximately 25% of the trade
in rum and slaves was in the hands of “Yankees.”
Traces of the Trade
II.
The Navigation Acts
To protect the mercantile system, England passed a series of laws called
Navigation Acts, starting in 1651.
Colonies were required to sell certain items (“enumerated goods”) only to
England or other colonies.
Trade between England and the colonies had to be on English ships (built
in England or the colonies).
It is understandable that the commercial men of New England found the
British trade regulations onerous. They would have been glad to engage
in direct trade with Europe, avoiding the „enumerated articles‟ laws—and
a substantial number did so. From the time of their enactment until the
French and Indian War, the Navigation Acts were flouted with
considerable success; smuggling was so widespread as to become
respectable!
English merchants, whom the laws were designed to protect, were
annoyed at the violations, which sometimes enabled colonial traders to
undersell them in European and colonial markets. Their demands were
persistent, but until after the middle of the 18th century, the Privy Council
made only sporadic efforts to tighten up law enforcement.
III. Reasons for Nonenforcement of the Laws (“Salutary
Neglect”)
For almost a century the English were too busy with the internal
readjustments which attended the Glorious Revolution of 1688 and with
their long imperial rivalry with France to give full attention to colonial
problems; furthermore, as long as the French menace remained, it was
inadvisable to risk alienating the colonists by drastic action. During the
years of “salutary neglect”, none of the principles of mercantilist
legislation was abandoned, but the application of them was relaxed.
When at last the French were banished from the North American mainland
in 1763 and the British were in a position to act against New England law
violations, the colonists had grown so accustomed to their comparative
freedom that they reacted violently. It is not surprising that New England,
the „square peg‟ in the British colonial structure, was the scene of the most
explosive incidents of the pre-Revolutionary years.