According to US History (2012), the Mercantilist system was the economic system adopted by the colonizers back in the 1700s. It was mostly propagated by the British colonialists. The main tenets of the system were to control foreign trade within the colonies. The colonialists let the colonies run their governments independently but believed that since they were part of the Britons, they had to engage in activities that were of benefit to the mother colonist. The system, therefore, had it that the countries would export more than they imported. This would make them earn more wealth. This system came at a time when wealth was associated with power. Therefore, the more the wealth the colonies generated for Britain, the greater the power that the latter had (US History, 2012).
The system had its effects on the colonies, which eventually led to the war to freedom. The colonies had a lot of wealth and resources. These resources were exploited but the returns were not enjoyed by the local people. They were all taken to the colonists’ homeland. As such, the colonies provided a lot but never benefitted from it. Their wealth was practically used to develop another country.
The colonists also had their reaction to the system. They felt that it was a chance for them to exploit the opportunities they had so as to develop even more. As such, they left nothing to chance but exploited the resources in their colonies as much as they could. For them, this was a battlefront with the other colonists. It was a chance for them to hold and experience power. With this understanding, it can be concluded that the mercantilist system had its effects on the colonies as well as the colonists. This led to the later developments which led to marches to freedom.
Reference
US History. (2012). The Mercantilist System. Retrieved on 3rd April 2013 from https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&shva=1&rld=1#inbox/13dce33a1480c9a3
