Atlantic Trade And Slave Trade

One of the foundational theories of North American colonial history is that of salutary neglect; the idea that the enforcement of trade laws was purposefully lenient to allow for the development of the aforementioned trade networks, and to assist the flow of vital cash and materials. However, limited enforcement was not total autonomy, as there were constant interventions by the British government, currency controls, naval impressment and the confiscation of goods were regular features of Atlantic trade. Colonial and personal appeals to parliament for redress and protection were common, as well as pleas for aid in the form of credit and military power. So the question becomes, how much did colonial merchants actually do on their own? Were they
truly autonomous? In effect, this research project will be a test case to determine how independent these merchants were.
The current working title for this project is A Price to be Paid: Colonial Merchants and the use of government power in 18th Century Charleston South Carolina, and as the title implies I will primarily be using sources from Charlestown South Carolina, including but not limited to collections of persona letters, newspaper accounts, financial records as well as the records of both the South Carolina Colony, and the British Board of Trade and Plantations. Through study of these sources will reveal many of the ways that Charleston merchants negotiated the halls of parliamentary power and accessed much needed assistance from the British government, contradicting the traditional image of the self-sufficient colonial merchant.
The how and why of trade network formation in the Eighteenth Century is a vital field, that operates on multiple levels. This project will assist in revealing the personal motivations and identity formation of the merchant community and those motivations will shed light on the rise of capitalist systems, and show the initial steps taken towards a global economy.