How Did The British Government Have Over Its Colonies During The 17th And 18th Century

2) The British Government exercised over its colonies during the 17th and 18th century in a variety of ways. The British strongly believed in the economic theory of mercantilism. This theory stated that a countries economic wealth could be measured by the amount of gold and silver in its coffers. In Britain’s eyes, the colonies were meant to supply the crown with raw materials. These beliefs led to the enactment Navigation laws, which restricted the colonies to trade solely England. Following the French and Indian war, the British Parliament passed a series of acts that were designed to make the colonies pay off one-third of the costs of the war with France. Some of these acts included the Sugar Act of 1764, which added a tax to sugar imports, the Stamp Act of 1765, which added a tax to many printed materials, and the Townshend Act of 1767, which were designed to pay the salaries of the royal governors. Later when the colonies started to become increasingly defiant, parliament passed the Repressive Acts of 1774, which were designed to punish the colonist for their rebelious behavior. These various acts demonstrated how the British Parliament exercised their control over the colonies.

Laws passed by the colonial governments could be voided by the Privy Council, though this ability was only used 469 times out of 8,563 laws. In 1767, when New York Legislature refused to abide by the Quartering Act, it was suspended. Royal governors were also assigned to colonies to see that British laws were carried out and the colonies remained in order. The British government played an active role in exercising its control over the American