Evaluate+the+system+of+mercantalism+and+determine+if+the+system+is+sustainable,+or+will+the+colonies+eventually+revolt+under+this+system?ns

Mercantilism, a system used in the early American Colonies by the British, had its compliments and insults. Both the colonists and the British had different opinions on mercantilism, but in the end it was clear that this system would lead to disagreements and revolts. Mercantilism hurt the colonies in many ways. For instance, Colonists were not allowed to buy, sell, ship or make products and send them to any other country except Britain. This made things difficult for the colonies because often when selling raw materials to the British, the British would give the colonists the minimum price, practically destroying the colonies' economy. Another event that damaged the colonies' economy was that the southern colonies were favored over the northern colonies. Because the south grew an immense amount of crops and the north really didn't have much, except small farms and roads, it gave the British a much better chance to trade and sell to the south than the north. This created tension and an obvious division between the two areas. It was obvious to the colonists, north and south, that the British were milking America for all it was worth. Though mercantilism had its downside, there were also things that made it, not so bad. For example, through mercantilism the colonies received protection from the British army without paying them. Along with that, the colonists were also given many opportunities for self government, because now they had to learn what to trade and sell when, and how much. Even though the colonies were cheap on what they would pay for tobacco, the colonists still were able to trade with them, and even though it wasn't a lot of money, it was still better than nothing. Lastly, Spain and France also practiced mercantilism which gave the colonies something else in common with the two countries. After evaluating the good and bad things about mercantilism it is easy to see that though there would be some good things about it, the bad outweigh the good and soon these rules would lead to a revolt. As time passed the colonists realized what the British were doing to them and revolt they did. The Stamp Act (requiring the colonists to pay extra on certain items to reimburse the English for their army protection) lead the colonies to boycott any item with a stamp on it and either make their own, or completely go without it. As a result of the boycotts, the British passed the Declaratory Act, which repealed the Stamp Act, but still asserted British authority. Next came the introduction of the Townshend Acts, which put a tax on little things, including tea. It upset the colonists when all of the other little things were repealed but the tea tax remained. This lead to the famous Boston Tea Party, where the Sons of Liberty lead a group of people to the Boston Harbor and dumped pounds of tea in to the Atlantic Ocean. These small revolts were only the beginning, for soon the eye of the storm was heading towards England.