Salutary Neglect In The American Colonies

The definition of salutary is producing good effects and the definition of neglect is failure to care properly. They do not seem to go together very well but after they are combined, a perfect storm is created for the colonists to become accustomed to independence. Salutary neglect refers to the unofficial British policy of lenient enforcement of parliamentary laws, lasting from 1607 to 1763. The policy was introduced to keep colonial allegiance while allowing the British to focus on European politics. During this time period, the American colonies began to assert themselves economically, politically, and religiously over the Mother Country.

Great Britain wanted the American colonies to institute a policy of mercantilism, an economic philosophy in which England established the colonies to provide raw materials to the Mother County. The colonies would receive manufactured goods in return. Trade and Navigation Acts were administered by Great Britain in the 1600’s to enforce mercantilism, but most colonial merchants found it easy to bypass these laws. Trade frequently occurred between France, Spain and the Netherlands, laying the foundation for the triangular trade routes. New England merchants actually benefitted from the smuggling, so the Prime Minister decided to use it to Britain’s advantage. Colonists enjoyed the

lower taxation and vast commercial opportunities funded by the slave trade. The British reversed their policy in an attempt to pay of war debt accumulated in the French and Indian War, which angered the colonists.
American colonies were technically governed by the British crown and representatives appointed by the crown during the period of Salutary Neglect, yet they still developed legislatures independent of Great Britain.

The legislative assemblies in the colonies became accustomed to passing their own laws, especially regarding taxation. The Stamp and Sugar Acts were passed in the 1760’s, imposing a new tax on imports. Both laws were removed after protest, but the Intolerable Acts and the Tea Act were passed by Parliament, creating even more controversy. The colonists were greatly opposed to being ruled by a government that was thousands of miles

away.
One of the primary reasons for colonization of the Americas was to establish a sanctuary for religious freedom. Many hoped to escape religious persecution they were facing at home. They yearned for a place to worship freely, as opposed to Britain, where the Church of England reigned supreme. The initial thirteen colonies asserted their religious autonomy by establishing their own churches, free from British control. Religious diversity was a dominant part of colonial life. From Quakers, to Puritans, to Baptists, all religions were given equal opportunities to establish and take hold in the new world.
The old expression, “When the cat is away, the mice will play”, accurately depicts the result of Salutary Neglect. It means that when authority is not present, the people will begin to enjoy their freedom. When the British were concerned with internal affairs, they simply left the Americas to their own devices for an extended period of time. After the Seven Years War, they attempted to reign back in, but it was ineffective because the colonists were already accustomed to freedom. They enjoyed lower taxation and vast commercial opportunities economically, passing their own laws, and religious freedom. One month before the Battle at Lexington and Concord, and the beginning of the American Revolution, Edmund Burke attempted to ease growing tensions. He was unsuccessful, and both the colonies and Britain now wanted war.