How did the policy of salutary neglect benefit both England and its colonies?
Salutary neglect is sort of a laissez faire policy that the English took toward the colonies during most of their development. It helped England because it kept the colonies with England during the insanity of the English Civil War. Had the colonies been dependent on England for decisions during those confusing times, they may very well have revolted earlier and cost Britain that extra century of mercantilist driven revenue. It benefited the colonists because it permitted them to develop a taste for self-government and it permitted them to have their tax burden relatively light. I don’t have the figures in front of me, but I’m fairly certain that most colonists had tax responsibilities only to their local colonial government up until the mid 18th century. I’m fairly certain that Britain was satisfied with the raw materials it received from the colonies to need very little else in terms of taxation from the colonists. I’m sure that varied from colony to colony, however.
