Us History Essay Quiz

The ways in which Mahan's Influences of Seapower apply to the mercantilism as it developed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were by countries geographical positions and their character as a nation. Most European kingdoms adopted this mercantilism in the 17th century which looked upon trade, colonies, and the accumulation of wealth as the basis for a country's military and political strength.

During this time of trade and commerce, it was the responsibility of each country to ship its business by their own vessels and it was the country's obligation to have secure ports to which to return, and for as far as possible be followed by their own country's protection. "England's naval bases have been in all parts of the worlds, and her fleets have at once protected them and kept open the communications between them." England took into consideration the mercantilist doctrine, which stated, that a government should regulate trade and production of other countries in order for it to become self-sufficient.

Thus, England made their own rules and built on an Acts of Trade and Navigation. England's government implemented a mercantilist policy with a series of Navigation Acts, which established three rules for colonial trade:

Trade to and from the colonies could be carries only by English colonial-built ships, which could be operated only by English or colonial crews, all goods imported into the colonies could only pass through ports in England, and "enumerated goods" such as tobacco could only been exported to England only.

These regulations impeded upon each country's ability to trade freely. It was only through mercantilism that the Spanish and French colonies survived and their existence was to enrich the parent country, England.

As in geographical position, if a nation were to "defend itself by land now induced to seek extension of its territory by the way of the land, it has an advantage as compared with people whose boundaries are continental." As for England, it was an advantage over France and Holland as a sea power. Meanwhile, France was constantly diverted into doing other things, thus if they were to make use of its geographical position, they would have been jus as sufficient, if not greater than