Salutary neglect was the unofficial policy of the British government that was in practise from the late 1600's to the mid 1700's. Under this policy it left the North American colonies their own and didn't interfere much. Trade regulations and supervision was not enforced on the colonies as long as they stayed loyal. The policy was initiated by British prime minister Robert Walpole, he initiated this policy so that Britain could focus on the European affairs. It enabled the colonies to trade with the non-British colonies. The side effect of the policy was that it allowed American colonies to operated independently.
