Final answer:
Britain's mercantilist policies, notably the Navigation Acts, confined colonial business practices and fueled discontent that contributed to the desire for independence, influenced by Enlightenment thinkers.
Step-by-step explanation:
Impact of Mercantilist Policies from a Colonial Merchant's Perspective
As a merchant in the colonies during the eighteenth century, Britain's mercantilist policies significantly impacted my business operations. Mercantilism aimed to strengthen the British Empire's wealth by controlling trade and ensuring that trade benefitted the motherland above all. Through the enforcement of the Navigation Acts, we were restricted to a trade system that limited our business to raw materials exchange for British manufactured goods, altering our trade routes and partners.
The colonists' ideas about government were greatly influenced by Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, whose ideas of governance gave rise to the belief that we had the right to challenge policies that were not in our interests. This right to protest, together with the desire to participate in the burgeoning consumer revolution, made us colonists more aware of our economic clout and led to a growing sentiment for independence. The combination of restricted trade, political control attempts, and the inspiration from Enlightenment ideals laid the groundwork for the eventual push towards the American Revolution.