Matthew Jensen
Mr. Vitale
British Lit
23 March 2015

British Control of the Bullion

Mercantilism started around three hundred years ago for the wealth of the mother nation. The British government wanted colonies because colonies would increase their wealth and power. The thought was that no great nation would be able to exist and survive without colonies.

In the beginning of the 17th century, mercantilism was becoming a popular economic theory in the British Empire. However, this is not the first time in history that mercantilism shows up. This economic policy appeared in France as a state intervention, which would protect the domestic merchants and manufactures. The origin of this economic policy comes from a man named Adam Smith. …show more content…
The growth was in the amount of land that the British government ruled over. With the growth in the amount of land, British government needed an economic system of the colonies and the motherland. The economic system that was popular of the nation and colonies was mercantilism. Mercantilism was known to be put into place because of a mercantile special interest, would profit off services such as: imports, tariffs, and bounties. Taxes were to be paid in the form of gold or silver, which is called bullion. The British government had this idea that the accumulation of bullion would increase the nation's wealth. This view can be closely related on an almost romantic value, which our ancestors set upon the position of precious metals. Therefore, in international during the seventeenth century trade Britain took up the economic policy of mercantilism. These economic policies took place through the famous trade route called the triangular …show more content…
However, all things came to head when the French and Indian War began. With the British government proclaiming that the colonies should support the bankroll in the war, new taxes were lasted on the colonies. When the British government went back on the agreement the colonies were irate, this caused the colonies to be more aggressive and rebellious against the trade laws. The British navy began to arrest smugglers, which ultimately lead to the Revolution between the colonies and the British