How Did The Spanish Armada A Mercantilism

Natalya Clasen
Mercantilism
The defeat of the Spanish Armada by Queen Elizabeth the first marked the major shifting period of expansion and trade for Great Britain. With this defeat, Elizabeth promoted the Navigation Acts designed to expand British trade and limit trade with Great Britain’s rivals, primarily the Dutch. This new era changed history in the way things, ideas, and people got around and thus mercantilism emerged from the development of the navy in order to defeat the Spanish Armada. Although mercantilism did provide new opportunities that helped connect England and its North American colonies, the mercantilism system proved useful only for the colonies to gain freedom and not for England to keep its rule over them. When Charles
the second came to power, things for England and the colonies changed drastically. He made it so the English government passed a series of Navigation Acts in which limited the trade that the colonies could conduct to only benefit England in the end. The colonists were forced into what was called the triangle trade where trade routes linked the American Colonies, West Indies, Africa, and England. New England rum was shipped to Africa and traded for slaves, which were brought to the West Indies and traded for sugar and molasses, which went back to New England. Then the extra raw materials went back to England, which were made into manufactured goods. Mercantilism and the triangular trade worked for New England’s benefit, but the Southern Colonies were not given the same profit that the northern colonies did. The Navigation Acts lowered tobacco prices severely thus causing its economies to suffer. This then created more tension between the American colonies, which stemmed from the establishment of the Navigation Acts.
This tension led further to what was called smuggling. In New England, many people wanted to be able to continue to trade with the Dutch, who offered them better prices for their goods than the British did. The British offered less but asked for more in return causing New England to avoid these trade restrictions using bribery since it was much cheaper for them. The Navigation Acts were not enforced, so it was easy for smugglers to get around. This period of time where colonists grew accustomed to freedom in trade via smuggling was known as salutary neglect. Salutary neglect occurred because the British colonial policy relaxed their supervision on the internal colonial trading and focused on things like defense. In turn, the colonies became more self-sufficient and were able to rely less on the British and experience the freedom of trading and thriving on their own without being under the watchful eye of Great Britain. This period of freedom did not last long for the colonies though as the power shifted to a different king who shaped the way in the end for the freedom of the colonies.

The whole interaction between the English and North American colonies changed when James the second came into power.
King James prompted more regulations and mercantilism changed to imperial supremacy. James the second revokes the charter of the Massachusetts Bay colony, which was in place due to intentional smuggling and out of it he creates the Dominion of New England. King James no longer was going to tolerate the smuggling and ended the period of salutary neglect. He placed immense power onto the Lords of Trade and Edmond Andros in order to restore “stability” between the English and the colonies. Andros acted as governor and was in charge during this time. He ruled unfairly however and revoked virtually all rights to self-rule, which the colonists had grown used to. Andros was able to do this due to the fact that James the second is in power, therefore so is he. Meanwhile in England, King James is taxing the country immensely creating extreme tension for the British as well. Then the Glorious Revolution occurs in England and James is overthrown by William of Orange and Charles the second’s daughter Mary. While all of this is occurring, slavery has already developed throughout the West Indies and the colonies. As the demand for raw materials such as tobacco, sugar, and cotton increased, so did the need for workers. This is when indentured servants changed to African slaves bought and traded on the slave trading west coast of Africa. The triangular trade not only increased a rise in the slave population, it also increased the merchant population, which formed a class of wealthy elites that dominated trade and politics throughout the colonies. As time continues in the colonies, so does their desire to feel the freedom they once did when they were so successful at avoiding the Navigation Acts. This later leads to the Revolutionary War, which ends up in the independence of the North American
colonies.
In regards to the British, mercantilism ended up not working at all in their favor. They lost their power and control over the North American colonies and stayed under royal rule up until the present. The colonies however did benefit ultimately in their freedom. Mercantilism did provide new opportunities that helped connect England and its North American colonies, but the system proved useful only for the colonies to gain freedom and not for England to keep its rule over them.