2' Mercantilism

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2. Mercantilism Economic Relationships

• Commercial policies based on assumptions about
  the operations of the worlds economic system.

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Based on the Idea

• There was a finite amount of wealth in the world
  the world was divided into national states
  whose governments were competing for shares of
  this wealth.

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• What one nation lost, another nation gained.

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Navigation Acts

• Why important?
• Only English or colonial merchants ships could
  trade in the colonies.

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• 2. Certain valuable American products could be
  sold only in England or other English
  colonieswool, sugar, tobacco, indigo, ginger
  dyes, rice, naval stores, copper, furs

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• 3. All foreign goods destined for sale in the
  colonies had to be shipped to England first,
  paying English import duties

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• 4. Colonies could not export items that competed
  with English products.

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Political System in the American Colonies

• Governors
• King-figure to the colony
• Appointed by the King or colonial proprietors.

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• Absolute veto power over legislature
• HOWEVER,
• the legislature could cut off his pay this was
  used to convince the governor not to veto certain
  bills.

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• 4. Controlled expenditures once appropriation
  bills were passed.
• 5. Appointed officials.
• 6. Commander-in-chief of colonial militia or
  royal troops

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• 7. Head of established church (usually only the
  Church of England)
• 8. Governor cabinet were the court of last
  resort in some colonies.

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Administrator

• Sometimes lived in the colony after appointment.
• Role was to assent or veto legal proposals.

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• Advisor to the Governor
• Part of the Council

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Council (Upper House)

• Equivalent to the House of Lords
• Appointed

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• Usually composed of wealthier colonists landed
  aristocracy.
• Advised governor on matters of policy.
• Court of last resort

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Assembly (Lower House)

• Equivalent to the House of Commons
• Elected by landowning white males

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• Represented middle class farmers merchants.
• Most colonies had religious requirements.
• i.e., House of Burgesses

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Local

• Elected selectmen
• Appointed magistrates
• Town meetings

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Judiciary

• Local justices of the peace, county courts,
  appeals courts
• Used common law (court-made law)

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• Court interpretations were not made on common
  sense.
• Given original jurisdiction (geographic area)

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• Crimes on high seas tried in Admiralty Courts.
• Treason was outside of the colonial courts
  jurisdiction.

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• The common law was greatly respected in England

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• AND most British colonists brought this sense of
  respect knowledge of English common law with
  them to the American colonies.