What is an Interloper?

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According to Princeton University’s wordnet, an interloper is defined as someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission. In the fifteenth to sevententh century the word ‘interloper’ commonly referred to a ship and crew that associated in smuggling. It is recorded that Interloping ships traded goods and slaves out of the monopoly of the Spanish’s West Indian Company. (Paesie, R. 2008) Mercantilism, (which was also referred to as merchant capitalism), was the governing economic system of the Spanish colonies. This meant only the mother country of a colony would supply and control the importing and exporting of goods, thus preventing trade with any other country, and guaranteeing total control of wealth from that settlement. Mercantilism ensured that Spanish colonies could only sell to and purchase from Spain. Spanish citizens enjoy this expansion of their treasure until it was challenged by the British, French and Dutch. The English and French were the main settlers, while the Dutch were the main traders of the 1600s. The French, Dutch and British becam...

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