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From the beginning of the 17th century to the time of American Independence, Great Britain looked upon its colonies as a means of making the country wealthier and more powerful. The British government used and manipulated every law, declaration and legal act meant for the colonies. They did this to favor the wealthy classes of Britain, namely the royals, nobles, gentry, and merchants and to increase the political and military power of the country. This system of maximizing profit and power came from the theory of mercantilism, used by all of the European nations at the time. The British held this theory sacred in that they hoped to better their empire with the newfound colonies. Overall, this plan backfired though because of Britain’s way of taxing and controlling the people of the colonies, which eventually led to uprisings, rebellions, and ultimately the Revolution. In the early days of exploration, Great Britain or as it was called then “England”, was not interested in establishing a presence in the New World. But after the war with Spain ended in 1604, parliament decided that England needed to expand into the new lands. Many reasons factored into this decision. Mainly pressure from interest groups like the Gent