Question

write a speech from the perspective of an merchant, urging colonists to support your idea of free trade with countries other than britain.

Answer 1

My compatriots,

although it might seem to all of you that such a proposition is meant to benefit myself and other merchants only, I beg you to pay attention to the words that I bring you, since they might be very good to all of you.

Yes, I want better deals for myself as well and I want things to be better for myself. What you might not understand is how trading with other countries is better for all of us, not only myself.

Having what to sell for a better price makes me richer, but if all of us have access to the same cargo, not only are we free to trade without abusive taxation, but the competition would only allow those who can sell for the lowest price to make some money out of such endeavor, and lower prices are good for the buyer.

Selling to Britain or buying from them and only them gets us stuck in a situation where they can dictate our destinies at any moment. Producing too much and having no one to sell to if Britain refuses our merchandise will make us produce even less, rising the cost of what is done, since we can't risk losing all our work and production.

I urge you to consider that as a country of producers, we all wish to sell and buy for better costs and we all wish to be rewarded for our work instead of being adrift under Britain's influence. Let us open the market. Let us buy from the world and sell to the world.

Answer 2

Writing an entire essay here is not quite possible, but your starting ideas can be that you as a merchant present the case where you would work with other foreign powers and they would have to pay more for your goods than Britain, and then you would pay higher taxes more easily, which would enrich Britain even more.