Mercantilism In 1763 Essay

Due to mercantilistic views and extreme financial deficits from multiple wars, Britain was scrambling to increase their revenues around the 1750s and 60s. England was in major debt from over 80 years of various conflicts and by the end of the French and Indian War, thought it made sense to have the colonies help pay for a war that was fought to protect their homes. Britain also valued the concept of mercantilism, which stated there was a fixed amount of wealth in the world and the more one country gained from their colonies, the less others benefitted. For these reasons, from 1763 to 1776, British Parliament passed many taxation acts, which in turn caused colonial unrest levels to rise and their dedication to republican values to amplify. While Britain imposed many imperialistic taxation policies on the colonies during this time, some had a more significant effect on the colonists than others. For example, the Sugar Act in 1764 actually cut the tax on imported sugar in half, but the reason it angered the colonists was that it was meant to be enforced. Up to this point, few taxation policies, if any, had been required by those intended to uphold them. This indifference lead to the period of “Salutary Neglect”, which the Sugar Act helped end. “Salutary Neglect” was the period of time between 1607 and 1763 where those that were assigned to enforce the Navigation Acts were not adequately carrying out their duties, …show more content…
After “Salutary Neglect” and the French and Indian War ended, colonists only wanted Britain to recognize their ability to do things on their own, which Britain refused to do. This caused inevitable resistance from the colonies, and also lead to the advantageous juncture of 13 previously disassociated