Life of a Merchant in 1700s

The Turbulent Life of a Merchant in the Revolutionary Era The following paper, through the mind and words of a fictionalized character, examines the crucial issues and various changes the imperial relationship between Great Britain and its North American colonies underwent in the mid-to-late eighteenth century. Drawing upon various historical events and enactments, the story of Gerald Gardner, a Bostonian merchant, will try to synthesize these events and provide a reflection upon the American Revolution from the point-of-view of those who shared his line of work. While the following opinions expressed display the feelings and attitudes of one man, the same cannot be applied historically to all of the merchant class. The characters and opinions are fictional, however, the historical events, legislation, and enactments are not. Gerald Gardner began working in the trade industry at some point near the year 1750, finding favorable conditions under which his business could flourish. His job involved him both selling and shipping to overseas markets while also buying and importing goods he could then sell in the colonies. Although British law required “that certain products of the colonies, such as tobacco, rice, indigo, when exported should be taken only to England or to another English colony” and “that the colonies purchase European manufactures only through England”, Gardner paid little heed to these laws (Morgan, 10). That did not mean he did not engage in trade with the mother country, since England had the world’s most advanced industry and normally the best prices. But Gardner saw the Navigation law as intending to “promote the economic welfare of the empire in general and of the mother country in particular” (Morgan, 10). He was neither interested in nor motivated by the gains of the empire; he was simply focused on his personal well-being. Thus, in order profit largely, he often bought and directly imported shipments of beautiful and valuable textiles from

Cited: Greene, Jack P. Colonies to Nation, 1763-1789: A Documentary History of the American Revolution. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 1975. Print. Jayne, Allen. Jefferson 's Declaration of Independence: Origins, Philosophy, and Theology. Lexington: University of Kentucky, 1998. Print. McDonald, Forrest. Novus Ordo Seclorum: The Intellectual Origins of the Constitution. Lawrence, Kan.: University of Kansas, 1985. Print. Morgan, Edmund Sears. The Birth of the Republic: 1763-89. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1992. Print.