" So with those mass
persons called countries. Tension would come about, tension would relax,
tension would return and increase between Mother England and Daughter
America. In all these colonies, in the year with which this narrative
closes, there were living children and young persons who would see the cord
between broken, would hear read the Declaration of Independence. So -- but
the true bond could never be broken, for mother and daughter after all are
one.
THE NAVIGATION LAWS
Three acts of Parliament -- the Navigation Act of 1660, the Staple Act of
1663, and the Act of 1673 imposing Plantation Duties -- laid the foundation
of the old colonial system of Great Britain. Contrary to the somewhat
passionate contentions of older historians, they were not designed in any
tyrannical spirit, though they embodied a theory of colonization and trade
which has long since been discarded. In the seventeenth century colonies
were regarded as plantations existing solely for the benefit of the mother
country. Therefore their trade and industry must be regulated so as to
contribute most to the sea power, the commerce, and the industry of the
home country which gave them protection. Sir Josiah Child was only
expressing a commonplace observation of the mercantilists when he wrote
"That all colonies or plantations do endamage their Mother-Kingdoms, whereof
the trades of such Plantations are not confined by severe Laws, and good
execution of those Laws, to the Mother-Kingdom.
Pages:
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196