Mercantilism, an economic policy designed to increase a nation’s wealth through exports, thrived in Great Britain between the 16th and 18th centuries. Between 1640-1660, Great Britain enjoyed the greatest benefits of mercantilism. The resulting favorable balance of trade was thought to increase national wealth.

Salutary Neglect – The Navigation Acts The trade goods were to pay heavy duties (taxes) when shipped to England. The money from the taxes went to England, not the colonies from where they originated. The policy of Salutary Neglect allowed the colonial merchants to flout, or violate, the Navigation Acts.

salutary neglect, policy of the British government from the early to mid-18th century regarding its North American colonies under which trade regulations for the colonies were laxly enforced and imperial supervision of internal colonial affairs was loose as long as the colonies remained loyal to the British government …

Mercantilism, also called “commercialism,” is a system in which a country attempts to amass wealth through trade with other countries, exporting more than it imports and increasing stores of gold and precious metals.

Mercantilism was based on the idea that a nation’s wealth and power were best served by increasing exports and so involved increasing trade.

The Navigation Act of 1651 marked England’s first real attempt at strictly enforcing mercantilist policy in the New World. The Navigation Act declared that all goods exported from the colonies had to be carried on English ships—ships that were built, owned, and manned by Englishmen or English colonists.

Mercantilism. An economic policy under which nations sought to increase their wealth and power by obtaining large amounts of gold and silver and by selling more goods than they bought. Effects on Economy.

Salutary Neglect was a period of time in colonial America before the Revolution. Salutary Neglect ended with the French and Indian War. An example of Salutary Neglect was Parliament’s lack of enforcement of colonial taxes.

The salutary neglect period ended as a consequence of the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War, from years 1755 to 1763. This caused a large war debt that the British needed to pay off, and thus the policy was destroyed in the colonies.

Salutary Neglect led the colonists to rebel against Great Britain because the colonists enjoyed the lax rule under salutary neglect and they did not want to be ruled strictly by Britain.

The affect of salutary neglect on the colonial economies was the colonies were able to establish trade relations with each other, the countries in the West Indies and countries in Europe such as France and Spain even though the British had passed the Navigation Acts because they were unable to enforce them because they were neglecting the colonies