Jared Hulsey SS113C.3: The History of American Enterprise Dr. Kyle Stephens January 30th, 2017 Defying Empire: Trading with the Enemy in Colonial New York by Thomas M. Truxes The merchants of New York were daring and resourceful according to Truxes’ claims. The merchants throughout the story did a lot of trading with the French in secret. By this means, the merchants risked treason with the penalty of death at each shipment. The merchants of New York knew fully what they were doing was against the law and continued to trade with the French. This gave them the attribute of being daring. The merchants went through extraordinary measures to prevent being caught by the law. For example, George Spencer snitched on illegal trade from the French sugar islands. The elite merchants of the time took matters into their own hands and had him jailed for debt, drug him through the streets of New York, while beating him along the way. …show more content…
They stuck to their jobs and continued to do their duties, even though they could be charged with treason. None of the merchants saw a problem with their duties because, “business was business.” (8). This gave them the attribute of being resourceful by continuing their work, although, it was against the law. The merchants of the time could just as easily have created more allies with other countries that were not part Seven Years’ War, but they stuck to their work and were honest and true. As Truxes put it, “for the men and women linked to the story of New York City’s trade with the enemy, life went on…”