Negligible Interference by British Government
Negligible Interference by British Government:
The most important ground for the American Independence was that from the beginning, England did not strive to meddle with or control the autonomy of colonies. From the time of their formation, colonies had enjoyed the freedom to develop themselves according to the prevalent circumstances. The British government did not make any direct contribution to the formation of any colony except Georgia. When the freedom of colonies was violated through the imposition of various taxes by the British government, a wave of strong dissatisfaction erupted in the form of revolution. There were many reasons for the non-interference by the British government in the autonomy of colonies in the beginning:
(1) In the 17th century (up to 1688), a severe conflict had been brewing between the monarchy and the Parliament for about 85 years. The deteriorating relations between the supporters of both these institutions led to the civil war. Hence, for a long time, the British politicians could not spare time to ponder over the condition of the colonies. During the early period of the 18th century, the colonies had developed to the extent that it was not possible to control their activities.
(2) During the mid-18th century trade was the basis of the British economy. Extensive trading privileges and facilities were provided to the trading companies. The only importance of the colonies was that certain raw materials like tobacco, sugar, wood, rice, and fish were procured from them. Therefore, England did not take any interest in their life and administration.
(3) There existed a triangular business at that time. The Dutch and the Portuguese traders captured slaves from Africa, sold them in the colonies, and procured liquor from there. In the colonies, the slaves worked hard to produce raw materials that were consigned to England, and in return, the American colonies obtained tea, clothes, and other commodities from England. England had enacted certain laws like the ‘Navigation Act’ under which the commodities had to be transported through the British ships only. But such laws were never followed strictly. Considering the expanse of the Pacific Ocean, it was not rational to do so, and hence the Americans did not think themselves under the subjugation of England.