Ottoman Algeria in Western Diplomatic History with ... - Bibliothèque

Colonial commerce did not evolve in a vacuum; rather it was fashioned in the
background of contests for colonial supremacy between England and other
European powers and remained so until the end of the colonial era. When the
Americans declared their independence in 1776, commerce had acquired such
an importance in colonial economy that it was incorporated as one of the
fundamental objectives of the newly created country of the United States of
America (USA):
The Representatives of the United States of America … declare, That
these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and
Independent States; … and that as Free and Independent States, they
have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances,
establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which
Independent States may of right do. 3
By 1783, the USA set out on its own to formulate new policies that would
permit it to take an independent stand in international relations.
Commerce of the British North American colonies was part of
England’s worldwide commercial activity. It was strongly fit within the
economic policy of England, which itself was shaped in the crucible of
European rivalry for territorial expansion and trade monopoly. Before anything
else, England’s interest in colonization of the New World was mostly
motivated by commercial interests. 4
In 1606, James I, king of England,
chartered the Virginia Company, a trading company, with the aim of colonizing
lands in North America, like Spain and other major colonial powers, but he
3 A Compilation of Messages and Papers of the Presidents, 1789-1897, edited by James D. Richardson,
10 Vol. (Washington, D. C.: Government Printing Office, 1896-1899), 1:6, Declaration of
Independence. (Hereafter cited as CMPP).
4 Muir, Expansion of Europe, p. 34.
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