Chapter Three, Section One
England & Its Colonies
England & Its Colonies Prosper
 The trade relationship between the colonies and Britain
o Focus was to improve BR
Mercantilism – economic system in which nations seek to increase their wealth & power
by obtaining large amounts of gold & silver & by establishing a favorable balance &
trade.
Balance & Trade – the amount of goods sold compared to the amount bought (you want
more coming in than going out)
 BR felt it could improve its balance & trade by utilizing new raw materials
available to them from the colonies (i.e. fur, lumber, fish, tobacco)
 Colonists were not trading exclusively with BR (Spain, FR, & Holland)
 BR viewed this as a threat to their own balance & trade
 So Parliament passed the Navigation Acts
Navigation Acts – series of laws restricting colonial trade (see p. 68) (So colonies could
export certain products only to BR)
Results of Navigation Acts:
(1) Increased colonial shipbuilding industry
(2) Created jobs for BR dockworkers
(3) Increased BR treasury
Tensions Emerge
 Not everyone’s going to be happy with Navigation Acts
 Many colonists ignored the acts and continued trading with other countries
 1684 – King Charles II cracked down on the leaders and merchants in
Massachusetts (he felt they were the worst violators)
 Puritans from Massachusetts rarely adhered to Parliament
 So BR revoked (took away) the colony’s charter & made it a Royal Colony –
under the strict control of the crown
 1685 – King James II succeeded King Charles II and he consolidated the northern
colonies, calling it the “Dominion of New England”
 Sir Edmund Andros – BR military guy chosen to govern “New England”
o Very harsh
o Condemned people & their ideas
o Enforced Navigation Acts & prosecuted smugglers
o Levied taxes
 Increase Mather – Massachusetts minister traveled to BR to try and plead its case
& remove Andros, but this was all when the Glorious Revolution was happening
 Glorious Revolution – peaceful overthrow of King James II by William and Mary
(see p. 69)
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o A series of laws were passed by Parliament, limiting the power of the
monarch.
Meanwhile back in North America, colonists arrested Andros & his royal leaders
In response, Massachusetts gained its charter back and this “Dominion of
England” was no more
However, there were some changes:
o King got to appoint Massachusetts governor
o There was more religious toleration of other groups besides Puritans, such
as Anglicans & Quakers
England Loosens the Reins
 BR had to worry about FR with regards to control of Europe
 As a result, colonies were left alone for awhile
o Devoted very little $ to colonies
o Reduced its # of soldiers to enforce colonial laws
 Nonetheless, Navigation Act was strengthened by:
o Moving smuggling trials from colonial courts to admiralty courts with BR
judges
o Creating Board of trade – advisory board with broad powers to monitor
colonial trade
Salutary Neglect – neglect for a positive purpose (benefit)
(1) Colonists – enjoyed more freedom from BR
(2) BR – still brought in raw materials & profits, but decreased
administrative costs.
 Salutary Neglect also affected colonial politics.
 Colonists have their own governor, judges, local assembly, etc.
“Under England’s ‘less than watchful’ eye, the colonies were developing a taste for selfgovernment that would eventually create the conditions for rebellion.”
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Regardless, colonists were still loyal to BR
Each colony had its own motives & needs
o Little reason to unite, let alone against BR…yet
o Life in North vs. South was developing VERY differently.