The main way in which mercantilism increased the likelihood of conflicts between European powers was that it led to dispute over who could trade where, and disputes over the trade agreements themselves, since every country wanted the "best deal".
"Yick Wo v. Hopkins, 118 U.S. 356 (1886), was the first case where the United States Supreme Court ruled that a law that is race-neutral on its face, but is administered in a prejudicial manner, is an infringement of the Equal Protection Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The navigator who wanted to reach Asia by sailing west from Europe was "Christopher Columbus," since it was unknown at this time that the land that would soon be known as the New World lay in the way.
