Jeff Scudder
AP US History
Summer Assignment
Essay #4 "Compare and contrast how mercantilist regulations affected Europe and its North American Colonies."

	Mercantilism and the regulations put upon it by Parliament increasingly affected Europe, but most importantly the North American Colonies. European countries believed that the only reason the colonies existed in North America was for financial benefit of the mother countries of those colonies. The states wanted to politically control their economy by passing regulations.
	Mercantilism brought upon many conflicts and wars. In the south there were several wars having to do with slavery. The first war occurred where troops from South Caroline invaded Florida so that it could a refuge state for free slaves. Also, when British slavers entered Spanish ports, the Spanish became angry and so sporadic fighting broke out. In the north the focus of conflict concerned the European colonies trying to control the Indian trade.
	Aside from war, mercantilists used other means to dominate the world economy. The Navigation Acts were passed, which defines the colonies as suppliers of raw materials, as well as markets for English manufactured goods. Merchants of other nations could not trade in the colonies, and all trade had to be conducted with English ships. A number of good were only allowed to be traded with England including sugar, and tobacco. For disobeying the rules you would be fined and prosecuted. England also decided to place limits on enterprises in the New World that could possible compete with the home country. In short, people could not make hats, or iron, or wool in the colonies due to acts that were passed.
	Despite all these acts that were passed, the merchants, planters, and white colonists in general all benefited. Many places produced grain, flour, meat, and dairy products. None of these were included in the list of enumerated goods that could only be traded to England. The greatest benefits in the north resulted from slave trade. Colonists got lots of wealth by trading with the West Indies. In fact trade with the West Indies accounted for more than half of the tonnage passing through Boston. Even though England tried to limit the colonists trade with only the home country, there were simply too many goods and resources in the colonies that could make them profitable by trading with other nations, especially slavery.
	The mercantilist regulations affected Europe and its colonies greatly. Europe wanted to control the entire economy of the colonies, but in the end they could only profit from part of it, still making them very prosperous. It also helped the colonists because they had to look for other ways to make money and discovered new products to sell with other countries. The slave trade greatly increased due to the increase in plantations and the cash crops being made. Slavery was also an excellent way to make money if you were a trader, for it was not affected by the mercantilist acts as much as other products. Mercantilism changed the way products were traded in both Europe and the colonies.