Ap Ush Chapter 6 Essay

When the Albany Congress met in New York to discuss the future of America and the impending war, three different groups were present. Each had diverse ideas about relevant issues, and contrasting priorities for the situation at hand. Each group saw a distinct “America” in their future. At the Albany Congress, these three groups included the British colonial leaders who demanded control of the colonies, the American colonial leaders who yearned for representation and the Native American leaders who craved a role in America.

British colonial leaders were interested in maintaining control on the colonists and making a profit on the colonial economy. They believed the Congress to be a positive endeavor because it promoted unity among the American colonies. If the colonies were unified, they would be easier for the British to control (but also harder to defeat in a war, which they did not foresee). In addition, the British wanted all of the colonial governments to go through Britain first. In other words, all decisions had to be approved by British officials. This meant that the colonists would have almost no control of their own affairs. Also, they wanted the colonists to follow all British laws, which means that they could not formulate their own laws. For example, the British tried to institute mercantilism on the colonies. They attempted to pass laws that would restrict trade with countries and colonies other than the mother country, Britain. “...that the final external profits of the labour and produce of colonies should center in the mother country,--that the colonies are the appropriated special customers of the mother country…” (Pownell). The only item that both the British and the Americans slightly agreed on was the unity of the colonies. Even then, most of the colonists were not particularly interested in unity, except for Benjamin Franklin, who was a major proponent. In short, the British were only interested in keeping control and making a profit...