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Anna Turkisher
September 15th, 2012
APUSH - Per. 6
Sherwin
The Foreshadow of a Revolution
The American colonists remained faithful to England and thought nothing of it until the
policy of salutary neglect came into effect. England originally created the thirteen colonies to
provide for their country, and use as a place to dump outcasts(remember that there were more
than 13). The colonists, remained faithful to England for quite some time, but eventually realized
that they did not need England to order them around. While England attended to important issues
such as the Glorious Revolution, various civil wars, and the French and Indian War, the
American colonies were free to take advantage of their newfound rights. Before 1750, England’s
policy of salutary neglect benefited the American colonies by giving them more freedom in their
legislative assemblies, commerce, and religion.
Under strict British laws, colonies were accustomed to belonging to either a royal,
proprietary, or self-governed colony. The salutary neglect policies benefited the colonists by
allowing them to expand their legislative assemblies and move towards democracy.
Qualifications to vote in the colonies at that time were tricky. Much of the power belonged to
Puritan leaders or rich land owners. However, compared to England, more people could vote in
the colonies because of cheap land. Farmers and inhabitants of the colonies started resisting to
unfair laws and more people spoke out. In royal colonies, the appointed governor was taken
advantage of by the colonists because he was a stranger to the area and surrounded by
communities who refused to pay him unless he approved their laws. The people in American
colonies found it easy to manipulate officials to do what they wanted during the period of
salutary neglect. Colonists requested many laws to be signed off by the king, usually outrageous,
but very rewarding. Secluded by the salutary neglect policies, colonists were able to work around
many previous strict British laws. In certain colonies such as Connecticut and Rhode Island,
people had the authority to elect their own governors, empowering people with rights.
In addition to government, commerce was also improved. With England monitoring the
colonies’ trade, the Americans were only permitted to provide for the British. But, when
population increased and England failed to buy large amounts of goods, colonists decided to
trade with other countries, like the Caribbean Islands and West Indies. The Triangle Trade was a
circuit where a skipper would leave a New England port with rum, trade with Africa for slaves,
go to the West Indies and trade slaves for sugar and molasses, and then travel back to New
England. This benefited the colonies greatly, but angered the British. Later, the British decided to
tighten laws after finding out about this trade during the neglect. The Molasses Act was the
outcome of the British finding out about colonists’ trades. Commerce was overall improved by
the realization of the colonists and their ability to break away from England. This led to
smuggling goods and other rebellious acts.
Government moved towards democracy, commerce expanded, and religion relaxed.
Harsh rules present in England were not as strict in the colonies because of lack of Roman
Catholics and other minority religions. People started branching off into other religions such as
Presbyterianism and Congregationalism. The strict Anglicans originally from England started
pulling away from their old ways and moving towards the Great Awakening. England had little
to no control over the churches at this time, so ministers, who normally would have to be
certified in England, were now granted permission by bishops, who were more relaxed since the
neglect policies.(this sentence has a lot of commas – it seems grammatically correct, but it's
tedious.) The Great Awaking approached religion in a new way that spread throughout the nation.
It was one of the effects of the salutary neglect policy, which gave power to the American
colonists.
England’s policy of salutary neglect benefited the American colonies because it gave
them more freedom in their legislative assemblies, commerce, and religion. American colonists
were able to manipulate the government system and take advantage of their voting rights. The
people could make more decisions on their own, without being beaten down by England.
Commerce improved and colonists realized England did not have to control trade. American
colonists could get away with trading with other countries and actually make more money. A
profit was a helpful benefit, but ended eventually due to England’s outrage. Religion loosened in
some areas because of new communities and populations. England’s tight grip no longer
possessed as much power within the state’s churches. A new perspective developed at this time,
and encouraged others to branch out to new religions. Overall, the salutary neglect policy aided
the colonies to their advantage. The colonists recognized a sense of independence and embraced
the newfound rebellious acts.
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