The Place of Markets in the Old Colonial System

T HE writings of G. L. Beer have probably exerted a greater influence in shaping modern views of early British colonial policy than the works of any other historian. Among the many ideas which he has advanced, three, in particular, have gained widespread currency. Until about 1745, he writes, the colonies were esteemed more as sources of supply of products which England needed than as markets for English goods.l Virginia, Maryland, the Carolinas, and the West Indies were preferred to the northern mainland of America because they provided the commodities which England most desired.2 However, with the progress of the industrial revolution, opinion and policy in England shifted. The colonies came to be valued more and more as markets, and, because the northern area had for many years been extending its purchases of English goods, it was looked upon with increasing favor.3 When, in 1763, England decided to retain Canada instead of Guadeloupe and Martinique, the new policy-that of emphasizing the colonies as markets rather than as sources of supply-won a decisive victory.4

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• A hole in the wall

  Open Access•Rim Yassine Kassab•Planning Perspectives•2023

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