I don't think it should be taken at face value because those ways could be the main ways to earn money, but it could probably be the least reliable or successful ways. This sentence could just be a lie taken literaly in which has a hidden meaning. This could be a meaning that you might not get, in which will leave you ripped off.
I know that it is either the political system or their religious beliefs, but i am not entirely certain.
The colonists started to resist by boycotting, or not buying, British goods. In 1773 some colonists in Boston, Massachusetts demonstrated their frustration by dressing up like Indians, sneaking onto ships in the harbor, and dumping imported tea into the water. This was called the Boston Tea Party.
The setting of the poem is strong.
The poem is universal because racism is everywhere.
Hope this helped.
