Final answer:
The desire for trade with non-British countries among the American colonies represented a challenge to the mercantilist policies of Great Britain. The Navigation Acts limited the colonies' trade, which led to economic dissatisfaction and eventually contributed to the desire for independence.
Step-by-step explanation:
American Desire for Trade and Its Impact on Great Britain's Colonies
The American desire for trade with non-British countries in the eighteenth century reflects a complex scenario in which the British colonies in North America sought economic growth beyond the mercantilist policies enforced by Great Britain. While these policies, specifically the Navigation Acts, initially established a trade system that seemed mutually beneficial, they also restricted the colonies from trading with other nations which could sometimes offer more advantageous prices for colonial goods.
The mercantilist policies aided in the flourishing of the colonial economy and increased the standard of living; however, they limited the economic independence of the colonies. Necessities and luxury items were advertised in colonial newspapers, and trade goods were spread from seaports to the interior by peddlers, demonstrating the robust consumer culture that existed in the colonies, despite the image of the self-sufficient farmer.
Mercantilism dictated that the colonies supply raw materials to England and in return receive manufactured goods. This focus on ensuring a favorable balance for the British treasury by controlling colonial trade led to growing dissatisfactions that escalated tensions between the colonies and the mother country, eventually contributing to the colonial resistance to British policies and aiding in the push for independence.