by Emily Ross
Hey, history lovers!
Welcome back to "Why Wars Happened," your weekly podcast for understanding the chaotic and often dramatic events that led to war throughout history.
Grab your favorite drink, settle in, and let’s get into it!
Ok. Now the goods.
Contents
A Quick Recap
Last time, we left off with Oliver Cromwell's death. His Parliament had instituted terrible laws for the colonies, including the draconian Navigation Acts, which essentially made it illegal for the colonists to trade with anyone other than England. Yep, you heard that right—even trading with other colonies was off the table at first. But England was preoccupied with the last bits of its civil war, and the colonies had about a decade to get a taste of self-government.
Charles II Takes the Throne
When Cromwell's son got booted from power, Charles I's son, now King Charles II, was invited back to England. No change in the colonists' favor, though. Instead, Charles II doubled down on the Navigation Acts. Why? Parliament had beheaded his father and gained control of the throne. Charles II didn’t want to make waves with Parliament, especially after his dramatic escape from England disguised as a peasant.
Economic Suffering Under the Navigation Acts
Under these laws, the colonists couldn’t sell their goods at competitive prices or buy things they needed at lower costs. English merchants dictated the low buying prices and inflated selling prices. The Navigation Acts ensured England could profit more from its colonies than other countries. And guess what? These laws weren’t just a power play—they were rooted in the trade norms of the time.
Virginia's Role and Ruin
Remember when England was desperate, poor, and overcrowded? Virginia was supposed to be the solution to these problems, providing resources and stabilizing England’s economy. But it mainly produced tobacco, and with the Dutch offering better prices, England felt the pinch. The Navigation Acts aimed to remedy this by funneling profits back to England.
The Aftermath and Berkeley’s Plea
Things got so bad that Governor Berkeley went to England to plead with Charles II to lift these trade restrictions. He wrote a desperate paper titled “A Discourse and View of Virginia,” highlighting the economic devastation caused by the Acts. Spoiler alert: it didn’t work. The English government suggested the colonists produce other goods like clothes, iron, and leather—tasks they had repeatedly failed at.
Economic Desperation and Outrage
Tobacco prices plummeted drastically. For instance, where a farmer once made around £2,200 in today’s money, post-Navigation Acts, they were lucky to earn £366. Berkley’s continued pleas went unanswered, and the colonists' economic situation worsened. They had to pay heavy taxes on their meager earnings, and English merchants often doubled these taxes just because they could.
A Nation On The Brink
The colonists were pushed to the brink, and even then, they remained nonviolent—a testament to their resilience and the sheer mercy of God, as some would say. Price controls in England meant that despite low production prices, tobacco’s retail price remained high, blocking a potential remedy for the growers. This lack of economic relief led to extreme poverty and untenable living conditions for many in Virginia.
Brewing Rebellion
The colonists tried everything—trading illegally with foreign nations, complaints to the government, even diversifying their production efforts to no avail. It was a powder keg waiting for a spark. With Governor Berkeley and his colleagues continuing to make desperate pleas, the stage was set for significant unrest.
That's it for today, folks. The Navigation Acts were a brutal chapter in Virginia’s history, exacerbating economic inequalities and sowing the seeds of rebellion.
Stay tuned for our next episode where we’ll discuss Virginia’s attempts to reduce tobacco cultivation and the subsequent disasters.
See you then!
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