4.3 how significant was imperial expansion between 1625 and 1688 to the economy Flashcards
why colonise north america and jamaica
raw materials (cane sugar, tobacco, men for slavery)
prospect of discovering preciuos metals
develop new societies for dissenters
create markets for english exports
could regulate world trade and control economic development more effectively
Barry Coward argues cure overpopulation in england and open new markets
can penalise your opponents trade wise (eg DUTCH)
very first early colonisation 1500s
1585-6 Sir Walter Raleigh - Virginia adventurers rather than labourers 1589 Sir Humphrey Gilbert - Newfoundland failed harsh climate, too few settlers, limited sotres, ship loss
North America colonisation trade
Virginia, Maryland, Carolinas
1607 - Jamestown colony established in Virgina
lucrative tobacco trade begins - cash crop
helped british compete with dutch in North America
national economy benefitted from customs duties on imports (funded williams military campaigns)
slave trade not yet dominant, most workers = vagrants or indentured servants
majority of settlers were Anglican and Catholic (High Church)
by 1680 = scottish presbyterian church in Norfolk, Virgina
tobacco
cash crop
very valuable
crimes punished in the colonies with tobacco fines up to 1,000 lbs
helped british compete with dutch in north america
maximum proposed imports of Virginia tobacco
1620: 55,000 lbs
1638: 1,600,000 lbs
by 1700 about 22 million pounds of tobacco were being exported from the american colonies
New England colony
religion > trade
Providence Island Company established Puritan colonies
pym and hampden had financial interests in the company
1620: Mayflower (puritan settlers hips) arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts = received around 20,000 puritans at height of laudian persecutions
became farming and fishing communities
created markets for british fur
Carribean (the fight for control)
initial conquest carries out by spain (controlled cuba as well in 1600)
1612 - bermuda occupied by british
1624 - St Kitts british start growing tobacco (under Sir Thomas Warner)
1625 - Montserrat, Antigua and Barbados under british control (from spain)
Interregnum = +british interest in carribean
Cromwell = ‘Grand Western Design’ to disrupt spanish monopoly
1655: Failed to take Hispaniola (haiti), took jamaica instead
the control of jamaica by british
1660 - in full control of jamaica then granted patents to wealthy merchants and gentry to land
1670 - slave population 7,000 (by 1713 = 55000)
expected to be a tobacco colony but better suited to sugar
sugar = financially more attractive
also cocoa and coffee
Treaty of Madrid = 1670 to recognise english ships to sail freely
1688 sugar becomes extremely lucrative
4 factors to explain growth of international trade
royal navy = british supremacy at sea
decline in spain (due to war and protestants)
mercantilism policy
navigation acts (to back up policy of mercantilism)
mercantilism
practice of accumulating wealth through trade with other countries
done by
-building overseas empires and colonies
-restricting all but necessary imports from rivals
-create self-sufficient economy
-export surplus goods for profit
simply exports > imports
what protected the policy of mercantilism
the navigation acts
dates of the two navigation acts
1651
1660
1651 navigation act
goods imported to english territories must be on english ships
english ship = all crew had to be at least half english
aim - create monopoly (removing the dutch importance)
Hill argues it represented a victory of national trading interests
helped english drapery companies dominate textile trade
customs revenues x3.5 from 1643 - 1659
1660 navigation act
defined english and plantation ship as - 3/4 crew + captain + officers = english
colonial exports or imports = english ships
foreign merchants excluded from colonies + plantations
certain goods to be exported to england only (tobacco, sugar, indigo, ginger, cotton)
other goods could still be exported from colonies to rest of world but must be on english / plantation ship
how navigation act 1660 was modified
1663 - Staple act = colonies to import european and other goods VIA england
1673 - Plantation Duty = certain goods may be exported to one colony to another for a duty but must be on english /plantation ship
underlying problem which lead to rivalry between dutch and british
mare clausum vs mare liberun
closed sea (british) vs open sea (dutch)
regulated state vs free state
areas of rivalry between britain and dutch
east india company 1600 vs dutch east india company 1602
-spice trade = dutch better
-Amboyna incident = english ships seized, england unable to respond
competition in america
-new amsterdam seized and became new york 1664
cmpetition in textile trade
-england exported trade to holland to eb finished, england wanted to finish its own cloth and export it
competition over fishing rights
-charles1 = exclusive claim to british waters
competition over commercial carrying trade
-promotion of engliah shipping by navigation acts
how anglo dutch wars were there and their dates
FIRST 1652-1654
SECOND 1665-1667
THIRD 1672-1674
causes of first anglo dutch war
1651 navigation act
29th may 1652 dutch admiral tromp refused to salute an english squadron
course of first anglo dutch war
29th may 1652 dutch admiral tromp refused to salute an english squadron
7th july commonwealth declares war
cromwell becomes lord protectir and tries to end wae
= 1654 treaty of westminster
treaty of westminster 1654
dutch to observe navigation acts
dutch to salute english ships in channel
william to marry mary
this prevented orange faction joining with exiled stuarts
did the treaty of westminster work
no failed to solve underlying problem series of crises war narrowly avoided 1658 only reason br would not go to war was political crisis at home (cromwell death)
causes of second anglo dutch war
1660 navigation act
charles 2 declaring 10 mile exclusion zone for english fishing
death of mary stuart = charles 2 as guardian = fear from dutch merchants of return of orange family and trade decline
also colonial rivalry (royal charter 1663 gave royal african co monopoly over western african trade) —> dutch had previous claim to region
course of second anglo dutch war
1664 skirmishes with dutch off w. african coast
1664 seizure of dutch colonies off new amsterdam
1664 blockade of dutch shipping in channel
dutch = more money and better tprepared than br (cash strapped)
1667 De ruyter’s fleet sailed up medway destroying 15 royal navy ships and captured royal charles
big effect on london as became difficult for insurers to cover expenses
Peace of Breda 1667
causes of third anglo dutch war
1670 treaty of dover = offensive partnership with french vs dutch
franco - dutch war 1678
very short war (parliament restricted charles)