Question

Ninth: except for important considerations, no importation should be allowed under any circumstances of commodities of which there is a sufficient supply of suitable quality at home; and in this matter neither sympathy nor compassion should be shown foreigners, be they friends, kinsfolk, allies, or enemies... And this holds good, even if the domestic commodities are of poorer quality, or even higher priced. For it would be better to pay for an article two dollars which remain in the country than only one which goes out, however strange this may seem to the ill-informed."
- Excerpt from "Nine Principal Rules of National Economy," by Philip Wilhelm von Hornick (c. 1684)

Based on the above passage, what impact would mercantilism have on the British colonies and why?

A) Colonists would be expected to buy goods from whichever nation sells it the cheapest, in order to retain more money at home.
B) Colonists would be expected to produce all of their own goods and not import them from Great Britain, in order to save transportation costs.
C) Colonists would be expected to buy goods only from Great Britain to retain all of it's hard currency, even if those goods are of inferior quality.
D) Colonists would be expected to focus on manufacturing their own goods and relying on Great Britain only for raw materials in order to increase their economy.

Answer 1

The correct answer is C) Colonists would be expected to buy goods only from Great Britain to retain all of it's hard currency, even if those goods are of inferior quality.

Colonists were expected to only trade with Britain and all other foreign trade was forbidden because Britain wanted to be the only one who earns money from the colonies. These policies were met with high discontent in the colonies and only infuriated locals even more.