For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:


In The Declaration of Independence many faults of British rule are exposed. One of such complaints is the charge of cutting off international trade, essentially the lifeblood of the American colonies. Upon the settlement of the colonies Britain had a specific purpose for them to fulfill. Britain’s relationship with the colonies was structured as a mercantile, or old colonial system. They held the belief that the soul purpose of the colony was to provide wealth and power to the mother country, Britain. Operating in this way left Britain highly dependant upon trade with the colonies for raw materials, or commodities not found in Britain. The colonies bestowed a large cash crop of resources on Britain, but had be regulated to ensure their maximum output of wealth. A series of acts were passed to prevent the colonies from exporting goods that could be used and profited from in Britain. They had a lot to lose to their trading competitors, mainly the Dutch. Initially the purpose of the acts was defensive, to protect British interests, but later became a source of income themselves, with he implementation of new taxes and revenues. These measures were meant to relieve pressure on Britains debts.

The first of such acts to be passed was the Navigation Act of 1651. Before this time there was no significant impediment to colonial trade. This act put in place restrictions on what ships could pass into British harbours carrying imported goods. European ships were exempt as long as the vessel originated from the same place as the goods it held. As for the rest of the world, only British ships could carry their goods into British ports. These laws were not fully enforced, and were unsuccessful in achieving their goal. In 1660 the act was strengthened, and broadened to incorporate stricter provisions. It stipulated that the only vessels bringing goods into Britain were to be British or colonial ships. Not only that, but the act named certain “enumerated” items such as tobacco, sugar, cotton, or wool that could only be exported to Britain. Large duties were paid on these items upon arrival in Britain, and in 1672 these duties were also expected to be paid between colonies. This addition to the original Navigation Act would have been disastrous to many of the northern colonies, which dealt with such goods. Fortunately for the colonies, these acts were very difficult to enforce.

The Navigation Act was but one of a number of laws passed that impeded the ability of the colonies to profit from international trade. In 1663 the Staple Act was passed, putting yet another trade barrier in place. The act stated that any goods being exported from the colonies, or imported to the colonies, first had to be shipped through harbours in Britain. Upon arrival these goods would be unloaded, inspected, and taxed before being reloaded and sent to their destination. This act not only increased the cost of the goods being exported or imported, but also heavily added to the time needed to ship them. The next deterrent to international trade happened much later, in 1733 with the adoption of the Molasses Act. This act was meant to curtail the importation of French sugar and molasses, which came from the French West Indies. The colonists would trade their surplus stocks of goods such as fish, flour and lumber for the sugar or molasses. Upon the implementation of the Molasses Act, the colonists were forced to buy more expensive sugar from the Britain, or to buy black market smuggled sugar and molasses. This law was seen by many in the colonies as unfair and was met with mass smuggling of French sugar and molasses.

These laws contributed immensely to the dissatisfaction of the colonies and resentment of their British rulers. Many colonists depended upon fair foreign trade to make a living, and felt alienated form their supposed countrymen. Trade is essential for the survival of a new settlement, and for the North American colonies, it was one of the essential issues that sparked their ambitions of independence. Trade was the backbone of the colonies, and for cutting off their trade with the rest of the world, Britain came much closer to the revolution which eventually occurred.

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W., Stewart Wallace, "Navigation Laws" in The Encyclopedia of Canada. Vol 4, 1948. p.386