question: Why did English mercantilists seek to deny free trade and manufacturing to the New World colonists?
In the early 17th century, English mercantilists had grown deep opposition towards colonial powers, especially the Dutch. The English and the Dutch contested for colonial resources, and at times, their contests resulted in deadly clashes. For instance, a clash between the two powers resulted in English East Indian officials being executed by the Dutch in the spice island of Amboyna in 1623. According to Mooney, it was clear that “incidents like the ‘Amboyna Massacre’ soured English public opinion of their fellow Protestants and many resented Holland’s welling commercial dominance.” To stifle the Dutch dominance in trade and to prevent them from taking over wealth in the New World just as they had done in Asia, English mercantilists saw it as necessary to curb free trade between them and English colonies. To put their plan into action, the English mercantilists insisted that their colonies were responsible for supplying England with essential raw materials and, in turn, purchase manufactured products from the mother country. According to Mooney, colonies were highly discouraged from manufacturing as Joshua Gee explained that “‘any such attempts should be crushed in the beginning; for are suffered to grow up to any maturity; it will become difficult to suppress them.'” The colonists were also not permitted to trade with whoever they wanted. To mercantilists, it was tantamount to undermining the entire colonial enterprise. It was the English mercantilists’ dream for England to succeed as a trade power at the expense of the other competing colonial powers.