Evaluate+the+System+of+Mercantilism+and+determine+if+the+system+is+sustainable,+or+will+colonies+eventually+revolt+under+this+system?++JZ

 It's often said that Britain's empire was acquired in a "fit of absent-mindedness," as an old saying goes. Out of the original thirteen colonies, only Georgia was planted by the British government. The other twelve colonies were founded by various trading companies, religious groups, or land spectators. However, the British exerted control over their colonies using a system known as mercantilism. As a result of this, the American people (as all colonists eventually would) revolted against the oppressive mercantilist system.  Mercantilists believed that wealth was power and that a country's economic wealth, military and political power could be measured by the amount of gold or silver in its treasury. To gain gold or silver, a country needed to export more than it imported. The American colonies gave the British huge economic advantages by providing raw materials for the mother country and provided a guaranteed market for exports.  There were significant negative aspects to mercantilism. The British began to impose strict conditions on the colonists to try to maintain a strong grasp of them. Beginning with the Navigation Law of 1650, various laws were passed so that the only ships allowed to transport goods to and from the colonies were English. Because the colonists bought more from Britain than they sold to them, a deficit was beginning to amount. The colonists would have to pay a significant amount and resorted to using butter, nails, pitch, and feathers for purposes of exchange domestically. The system of mercantilism made the colonists reliant on the British and made them feel as if they were economically adolescent.  Mercantilism did have some beneficial aspects to it. The various Navigation Laws weren't horribly oppressive because they were only very loosely enforced. Some early American fortunes were solely amassed through illegal means. Britain also provided the colonies with a steady market in which to sell their raw goods. Virginian tobacco planters enjoyed a monopoly in Britain and snuffed out the tiny English tobacco industry. Colonists also benefited from the protection of the world's mightiest navy and a strong, seasoned army of redcoats without even having to pay for it.  Basing an opinion on past situations, it seems that any colony would eventually revolt against the system of mercantilism. An example of this is the American Revolution and the overthrow of the British in colonial America. For a time it would seem to work until the people began to feel significantly oppressed.