Salutory Neglect Policy

Many of the American colonists ignored the Navigation Acts and traded directly with France, Spain and the Netherlands, which was very profitable to the colonists. They were able to get away with violating the law due to the long-standing, undocumented, English policy of “Salutary Neglect.”

The policy of “Salutary Neglect” lasted from the early 1600's to the 1760's and avoided strict enforcement of parliamentary laws. British officials in the colonies were basically allowed to turn a “blind eye” to trade violations - they neglected to enforce the law. England adopted their policy of salutary neglect for the following reasons:

1) To ensure that the British colonist would remain loyal to the British during the period of expansion in Colonial America. The threat of rebellion in the colonies was a clear concern. The policy and era of Salutary Neglect benefited the colonists, boosting their trade profits and therefore, ensuring the loyalty of the colonists.

2) There were no effective enforcement agencies and it was too expensive to send British troops to the American colonies to enforce the Navigation Acts. The policy of Salutary Neglect kept the enforcement costs at a minimum.

The wise policy of “Salutary Neglect" was the prime factor for the booming commercial success of Britain's North American holdings.

Reversing the Salutory Neglect Policy

The benevolent period of Salutary Neglect all changed after the French and Indian War (aka Seven Years War 1755-1763). Although the French and Indian War was a victory for the British, the war left the British with a massive war debt. To pay their war debt, the British ended their policy of Salutary Neglect in the colonies.

Shortly after the 1783 Treaty of Paris concluded the French and Indian War with Britain, Britain began to reverse their policy of Salutary Neglect. The enforcement of Navigation Acts had begun, tighter controls were implemented, and new taxes were imposed, including the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, Townshend Acts, and the Tea Act. These measures infuriated the American colonists. As a direct result of the Salutary Neglect policy, it had become the colonists’ custom and practice to flout the Navigation Acts for years. Then, to add insult to injury, not only were the British enforcing the Navigation Acts, but they were slashing the colonists’ profits still further through the new taxes.