week 3 - politics of the empire

Question 1

william pitt

Answer 1

‘i know that I can save this country and that no one else can’

fascinated by the new world - imperial power should be enforced to grow trade

made the king uncomfortable

Question 2

corporate colonies

Answer 2

laws had to be approved by the monarch and appointed leaders were required to adhere to the board of trade policies

each corporate colony would have its own legislature made up of a crown-appointed council (of important citizens) and an elected assembly. there were many problems with this system. while england regarded the royal commission given to each governor as absolute, the colonists often lacked reverence for the commissions, viewing them as impractical instructions.

colonial governors were supposed to serve the interests of the king as well as the colonists.

Question 3

the board of trade

Answer 3

funnelled information received from the colonies to the secretary and relayed his instructions to the governors and other american officials

supervised mercantile trade

consisted of two groups: eight permanent salaried commissioners who conducted the regular duties of the board and eight ex-officio unpaid members who were nominally selected from the privy council.

lacked executive or legislative powers but it became in effect the primary policy-making and administrative agency of the british government in its mercantilist endeavours to make the american colonies profitable to the mother country.