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concept of salutary neglect
history of colonial america
history of colonial america
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Since the founding of the Thirteen Colonies, the colonists enjoyed a degree of autonomy and self sufficiency from the mother country, England. The colonies had colonial assemblies, which were more democratic than England’s and were independent governments. British mercantilist laws were not strictly enforced due to the policy commonly referred to as salutary neglect. However, as the British increasingly ignore the problems the colonies faced, the colonies began to look for a common government to lead them. This eventually led to three distinct efforts at intercolonial cooperation and union: The New England Confederation, Penn’s Plan of Union, and The Albany Plan of Union. Therefore, although there were unsuccessful attempts to unite the colonies, there was a strong desire for a common government. As early as 1643, there were attempts to form a colonial confederation. The New England Confederation, whose plan was to unite the Puritan colonies against attacks from Native Americans. Member colonies were motivated to join not only because of the fear of Indian attack, but also because...
From 1754-1763, Britain fought the French and Indian war. Although Britain had won the war, they still had a lot of war debts to pay off. Britain turned to the colonies to pay off their debts by taxing them. The taxes angered the colonists because they believed it violated their rights. Benjamin Franklin had initially proposed the Albany plan of Union to unite the colonies, however this law was rejected by all of the colonial governments. It wasn't until after all of the British laws and taxes that the colonies would unite and write the Declaration of Independence.
When the colonies were being formed, many colonists came from England to escape the restrictions placed upon them by the crown. Britain had laws for regulating trade and collecting taxes, but they were generally not enforced. The colonists had gotten used to being able to govern themselves. However, Britain sooned changed it’s colonial policy because of the piling debt due to four wars the British got into with the French and the Spanish. The most notable of these, the French and Indian War (or the Seven Years’ War), had immediate effects on the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain, leading to the concept of no taxation without representation becoming the motivating force for the American revolutionary movement and a great symbol for democracy amongst the colonies, as Britain tried to tighten their hold on the colonies through various acts and measures.
The thirteen American colonies were under the British control until they declared their independence from British in 1776. A year after the declaration of independence, the continental congress established the Article Of Confederation, which was the first constitution in the United States. According to manythings.org, “During that war, the colonies were united by an agreement called the Articles of Confederation”. It was later ratified in 1781, but it had many negatives because it was very weak. According to manythings.org, the Articles Of Confederation did not: organize a central government, create courts or decide laws, nor provide an executive to carry out the laws, and all it did was just create a Congress. This congress was very useless
During the 1700s, Britain ruled over the colonies. The colonies had been discovered and settled by the British. The British believed that the colonies were British territories and were to be ruled as if they were British territories. The colonies did not like this. The Founding Fathers agreed that it was time for a change and sought to rebel from, and declare independence from the British. The Founding Fathers were justified in rebelling and declaring independence because the British rule had become oppressive, Britain was too small and too far away from the colonies to be in any position to rule over them, and the colonies had become large enough to become their own nation.
The first reason the colonies were justified in breaking away from the British was the discontinuation of salutary neglect. Salutary neglect was a policy the British used beginning around 1607 that allowed lenient enforcement of British laws in the thirteen colonies. For example, the Navigation Acts, passed in 1651, required all colonial commerce-related ships, coming to and from the colonies, to pass through Great Britain. This law was not enforced strictly until the end of the French and Indian War. During the time before the war, the colonists’ normal reaction was to ignore...
When all things are considered, one can see the colonies didn't always agree with the way England handled things, in the area of religion, economics, politics, and social structure. Through their determination to obtain a better life for themselves, they ventured away from England and created their own nation over time.
First of all, each of the different colonies’ founders all expressed sentiments to establish a solid and uncorrupt government. One that would honor God. This government would be made up of a Governor, and a general Assembly and/or provincial Council where most political and judicial decisions would be made and agreed on together. In the Mayflower Compact, Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, and the Frame of Government of Pennsylvania, men were given the right to vote and choose the officials and representatives who would have a place in the government. These first colonies also promised the people that justice would be restored, it would not be sold, or withheld.
The colonies experienced much freedom due to Britain’s policy of Salutary Neglect. Britain’s policy of salutary neglect played a huge role in the development of the American colonies. Although the colonies were British settlements, Britain did not force their rules and beliefs onto them. The lack of strong British rule allowed the colonies to have a say in what type of nation they wished to become. Salutary Neglect enabled the colonies to develop religious freedoms, legislative assemblies, such as the House of Burgesses, and improved the American commerce by allowing the colonies to violate trading laws such as the Navigation Act.
The policy of salutary neglect had a large impact on the advancement of the American colonies and their society. It was the catalyst, which brought in motion the need for colonies to govern and rule themselves. In addition religious tolerance was one of many developments that came out of the policy of salutary neglect. Many of these developments differentiated the colonies from England. The colonies forged a bond amongst themselves and it made them feel united. Many people in England believed in the method of mercantilism. However people like Sir Robert Walpole, who later became England’s first prime minister, believed in the policy of salutary neglect. Under this method, the American colonies learned to rely on themselves rather than British leadership. In return, that British did not impose many laws on the colonies. Sir Robert Walpole believed that British interference would alienate the colonies and eventually damage commerce with England. To ensure that this didn’t happen he laxly enforced trade regulations such as the Navigation Act. The policy of salutary neglect led the American colonies to gain independence and develop their own political institutions such as the legislative assemblies. Although the colonies based many of their institutions off of the English, between 1690-1750, the British policy of salutary neglect drove them to become increasingly independent.
The thirteen colonies and the British were involved in the revolutionary war. These colonies were united in North America. The colonies were left to fend for themselves under the British policy salutary neglect. In 1750-1775 the thirteen colonies started to feel the need to be free from the Great Britain, claiming they were force to pay taxes also argued that they were being treated as less than Englishmen. As a result the colonies start to develop a sense of identity and unity by the eve of revolution.
In 1776 when the Colonies declared their independence from Great Britain with the Declaration of Independence they had one clear goal in mind: become a sovereign nation and avoid the tyranny of Great Britain. What they did not know, however, is that they had to face many more issues beyond simply cutting the ties with Great Britain; they also had to create and maintain a working system of rules which could guide them into becoming the United States of America. Once Independence was gained in 1783, the Articles of Confederation were created, but with many deep flaws in the system. The Federal government had no power, and the states were loosely held together and hardly acted as if they were a single united nation. After recognizing that these problems were too large to overcome easily, several of the greatest men in the nation gathered together to rectify these problems.
Throughout the thirteen colonies not many issues occurred until the abuse pressed upon them by their British brethren across the seas. Once the British started imposing the following taxes: Sugar, Stamp, Townshend, Tea, and Quartering Acts, the colonies blatantly refused due to the fact that they (the colonist) had equal rights to British common-law rights. Thus, the phrase “no taxation without representation” was uttered from the lips of masses within the colonies. In order to establish themselves as independent, the thirteen colonies “drew deep inspiration from Enlightenment political thought,” which consisted of freedom, equality and popular sovereignty. Eventually a treaty was established between the thirteen colonies and Britain during
From 1754 to 1763, the French and Indian War took place. This war altered the political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies. It was the last of four North American wars waged from 1689 to 1763 between the British and the French. In these struggles, each country fought for control of the continent with the assistance of Native American and colonial allies. The French and Indian War occurred to end the land dispute between the British and French. Whoever won, in reality, gained an empire. It was a determined and eventually successful attempt by the British to get a dominant position in North America, the West Indies, and the subcontinent of India. Although Britain had won all this land, political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies were totally annihilated.
A new era was dawning on the American colonies and its mother country Britain, an era of revolution. The American colonists were subjected to many cruel acts of the British Parliament in order to benefit England itself. These British policies were forcing the Americans to rebellious feelings as their rights were constantly being violated by the British Crown. The colonies wanted to have an independent government and economy so they could create their own laws and stipulations. The British imperial policies affected the colonies economic, political, and geographic situation which intensified colonists’ resistance to British rule and intensified commitment to their republican values.
History is full of nations that have risen to great power and dominated the lands. However, every great nation has a beginning. Most nations grow and gain power in the pursuit of wealth and territory, but because each nation is made of humans, we tend to have different goals when these expansions take place. Some conquer, and some are conquered. Some look to gain personal wealth, and others fight for specific ideologies. Because of this we often encounter a separation of views on how to manage what we acquire. Our United States had a similar birth during its early colonization to the time of the American Revolution. During this time some people fell under the “in-group” (the wealthy, privileged and empowered), and others fell in the “out-group” (the poor, suppressed, and weak). It was these early settlers that formed the