The Usefulness of Mercantilism - Case Study Example

Question Mercantilist policy was a driver of many decisions England made concerning the colonies. In short, mercantilism produces wealth by usingcolonies in two ways. First, colonies are to be the suppliers of raw materials and natural resources for the mother country. This relationship is clearly shown by the vast quantities of lumber shipped back to England from the colonies. The second reason for colonies is to use them as a market for finished goods from the mother country. What this ensured is that any wealth created by value added enterprises would be generated in the home country and not in the colonies (Darwin). In order to maximize the usefulness of mercantilism, the home country needs to keep the colonies in a quasi state of isolationism. They must restrict their trading partners and discourage the manufacture of finished goods in the colonies. One way that the English did this to the colonies was through the Navigation Acts. This set of acts restricted who the colonists could trade with. The colonists and the Dutch had already established a lucrative trade in raw materials and finished goods. The Navigation Acts made it illegal for the colonists to use any ships other than English ships to trade. Another unpopular law was the Stamp Act. This Act was designed to tax any colonial production of finished goods printed on paper. Newspapers, parchment for wills and playing cards all needed to be imported from England and bear the appropriate stamp certifying their legality. Colonial businesses were fined if they made items and sold them without the stamp. Through restriction of transport and punitive taxation, the English tried to enforce their mercantilist policies on the colonists. The enforcement of these policies was a major cause of the Revolutionary War. Question 2 African Americans were an influential part of the Great Awakening. The institution of slavery was something that troubled many of the early colonial leaders. They viewed it as incompatible with the ideals of the burgeoning Republic. Many felt that God wanted the colonies to be independent of England, so it follows that they also felt that the institution of slavery was against their religious beliefs as well. That, unfortunately did not keep leading abolitionists such as Francis Allison and Benjamin Rush were slave owners until their dying day (Nash). The Great Awakening was an opportunity for some African Americans to exert some control over their society. Free blacks began to organize black churches that were controlled by a black presbytery. Some were independent, evangelical churches but others, such as the AME church established themselves in much the same way other mainstream Protestant churches had already done. The conflicts between independent, evangelical churches and established Protestant churches during the Great Awakening and today are very similar. They both center on issues of legitimacy and control. Many white Protestants refused to acknowledge the importance of the new black churches, but that didn’t keep them from growing and becoming a vital part of the African-American community. Question 3 Puritans viewed children as inherently sinful due to Adam’s transgression in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, children needed to be brought up strictly. They needed to be taught about God and the dangers of Hell. They needed to know that they had to work hard in order to be saved. The Puritan family was organized with the man at the head of the household. Women could not own property if they were married and were also viewed as inherently sinful because of mother Eve in the Garden of Eden. Men and women did, however, work together to take care of the family. Women were given the task of much of the household labor, nurturing and raising children and making the family finances work. Men were responsible for generating the income, usually through agricultural labor. Puritan families are often depicted as strict and rigid, but there is evidence there was love and affection also. Marriages were not arranged and men and women were encouraged to marry for love. The effects of parents on even their adult children had been documented in some New England families. Puritans believed that if the parents feared God, then the children would surely follow suit (Heyrmen). Question 4 There were several ideas that evolved during the colonial period that led to a sense of nationalism among colonists. These ideas are not well defined during the colonial era, and many colonists did see themselves as English transplants, but nationalism was in fact beginning to take root. One belief that lead to nationalist feelings stemmed from the Puritan belief that America was somehow a promised land (Zeigler). It was the home of the New Jerusalem. It was to be a land of liberty, unlike the wicked and corrupted nations of Europe. This idea that God wanted America to be different and that the potential for greatness, supported by the hand of God, was a theme that many during the colonial period began to believe. Another belief was in the ideals of the proposed Republic. The thoughts expressed by Jefferson, Madison, Franklin and Monroe are not new, but signified a new start for many. Europe began to be viewed as the aggressor and oppressor, especially after the War of 1812. This victory for the Americans seemed to signal a new age of thought. It appeared that America really could stand up to the old powers and that they would be able to truly be independent; not in some weak way, but as a future power to be reckoned with. This unfailing belief in the brightness of the future became a hallmark of American nationalistic feeling. The confines of the Old World were gone, and a new nation was emerging. Question 5 The early colonists undoubtedly felt that they were English by most cultural measures. They had familial ties to the mother country and most considered themselves transplanted Englishmen in the years leading up to the Revolution. Many considered themselves such even after the Revolution. Yet, despite this close cultural affinity for England, the colonists almost immediately set out on a different path than the one proscribed by England. As early as 1733, the Navigation Acts were to have forced the colonists into a strict mercantile system with England. The problem is that it was never really enforced by the English. By the time they needed to start cashing in on their North American colonies in the 1760’s a culture of commerce had been established that did not conform to the mercantilist philosophy of England. When the English attempted to pressure the colonists to conform, revolution and protests erupted (Ashe). The religious freedoms enjoyed in the colonies were another major difference between the cultures of England and colonial America. The plurality of religions and the relative tolerance they had towards religions of all types characterized the colonies in a way that was not to be found in England or the European continent. The wars of religion were still fresh in the minds of many. As a result, the freedom of religion American colonists enjoyed appeared much more appealing than the state religions of the Old World. The English colonies shared a culture with their native land in nearly all respects, save those of economics and religion. These were the two great irreconcilable differences that separated the English and the American colonists. It wasn’t a matter of “if” there was a revolution, but “when” the revolution would happen. Any attempt to exercise control over these areas by the English would have been met with resistance. Lacking control over the economy of the colonies would have made their very existence a moot point from the English perspective. Works Cited Ashe, Thomas. "Why Did The American Colonists Revolt?" Big Issue Ground Essays on Philosophy, Politics, History Science and Religion. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. . Darwin, John. After Tamerlane: the Global History of Empire since 1405. New York: Bloomsbury, 2008. Print. Heyrmen, Christine L. "Religion, Women, and the Family in Early America, Divining America, TeacherServe®, National Humanities Center." National Humanities Center - Welcome to the National Humanities Center. 1997. Web. 14 Apr. 2010. . Nash, Gary B. Race and Revolution. Madison: Madison House, 1990. Print. Ziegler, Alexander. "From Colonies to Nation: The Emergence of American Nationalism, 1750-1800." Chrestomathy 5 (2006). Web. . Read More