Salutary+Neglect+and+Albany+Plan


 * The British had an attitude of __Salutary Neglect__towards their colonies in North America, meaning that the English let the colonies do their own thing. They ignored the colonies to a certain extent, merely watching over them as they made the British very rich.
 * There was a weak or nonexistent colonial administration.
 * This attitude actually increased Parliament's power because Parliament was composed largely of gentry, rich people but not aristocracy, who had VERY strong commercial interests.
 * The huge increase of money from the North American colonies caused the economy to switch from mercantilism to capitalism
 * French start gaining colonies in North America, especially in Canada
 * This French expansion starts encroaching onto the Western side of the British colonies
 * Makes British a bit nervous since their colonies need to expand
 * Also, colonies are not bound together at all, don't like each other
 * Franklin's __Albany Plan__
 * idea of one general colonial-mirrored government in colonies that each colony would fund
 * similar to idea of European Union
 * This Plan got Benjamin Franklin laughed out

Salutary Neglect
 * "healthy" neglect
 * Britain just wanted the colonies to raw materials
 * Bristian Parliament didn't bother trying to centrailize colonial government because it would cost money and they would get less profit from the raw materials the colonies were producing
 * colonies became independent without Britain to they could funciton

Albany Plan
 * Franklin saw the colonies were not united (threat from Indians in New France)
 * proposed one unifiying government for all colonies
 * none of the colonial leaders approved it (no unifying force)