Final answer:
England's mercantilist policies during the 17th and 18th centuries, primarily the Navigation Acts that required the American colonies to trade solely with Britain, contributed to the American Revolution.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, England's mercantilist practices were indeed a significant factor in the onset of the American Revolution. The policies were primarily due to the belief that the colonies existed for the benefit and wealth of the mother country, which is option B in your question. Under the mercantilism economic theory, the British government passed Navigation Acts to ensure a favorable balance of trade by requiring the colonies to trade exclusively with Britain, limiting their economic independence. These acts specified that the enumerated goods could only be shipped within the British Empire and directly contributed to colonial discontent, which eventually culminated in the American Revolution.