How Did Mercantilism Regulate Colonial America

From the seventeenth to the eighteenth century, the British Empire was the biggest power in the world. Some said that the sun never set on the British Empire because of its greatness, and Britain wanted to continue growing. To do this they tried to regulate trade to favor them. This principle of creating a favorable export and import balance is mercantilism. Mercantilism shaped the life of eighteenth century Colonial America by regulating their trade, by economically weakening them and putting them in debt, and by socially creating the tensions that led to the Revolutionary War.
The principle of mercantilism caused Britain to regulate Colonial America’s trade. In 1584 Richard Hakluyt wrote a defense of the benefits of western planting. In the defense, he states that Britain should plant these new discoveries quickly and in a couple places, so that they are not precluded by other nations who want to do the same

People came to America to be free, to do what they wanted to do. In a Description of Philadelphia, Peter Kalm talks about how people came from all over, and almost no one was similar. However, no one was discriminated against or molested for beliefs they had, as long as they believed that God is the Creator (Kalm). Those who came to America came for freedom, not to be under a king. Everyone in Philadelphia was described as enjoying liberties so freely that they basically live like kings (Kalm). When people started to be regulated from Britain, and started to feel the negative effects of the restrictions and regulations that they tried to escape before, they were mad. The people became mad at Britain and wanted the freedom to be their own nation and to control their own trade, and not be negatively regulated by a king. It was this idea that caused America to fight for freedom in the Revolutionary