The period of time from 1700-1750 in English North America was a pivotal term, full of growth and diversification, for the people, politics and commerce of the colonies. Revolutionary ideas were sparked by the spread of enlightened ideas to the New World, monetary monitoring by the English government, the developing complexity of the society in the colonies, and salutary neglect by England due to distracting European warfare. The justification for the future oppositional force against the English crown was defined by the important peoples and events of this time period. As a result of the British rise of power in the Atlantic World at this time, dramatic cultural developments occurred. Also thanks to the English dominance of commerce, manufacturing …show more content…
Although this period was prosperous, this profit in economics was a factor of frustration for both the colonists and the English crown. As the raw goods from the Americas rapidly became more lucrative, the crown imposed imperial dominion onto the colonies. For example, in only thirty years the production of rice in the Chesapeake colonies increased fivefold and the English imposed the Navigation Acts. These Acts only allowed colonists to ship to and trade with Britain. This restraining of colonial commerce created more resentment towards the ruling crown. Colonists therefore did not always obey the restrictions imposed by the government. All of the Navigation Acts were only partially obeyed by colonial merchants, with some Acts even being extensively violated. For the colonies this act of treason was not solely due to resentment for the British imperial dominion, but also an act of self preservation. The English demanded large quantities of raw goods from the colonies at an extremely low rate, so trading with other empires that were willing to pay more was essential to economic survival in the colonies. Money proved to be a driving factor for the settlement of English North America and also the eventual rebellion against the English crown by the