The Currency of Empire: Money and Power in Seventeenth-Century English America
In “The Currency of Empire,” Jonathan Barth explores the critical role of silver and gold in the English colonial project during the seventeenth century. He argues that these precious metals were central to the economic and political strategies of the English empire, influencing colonization, trade policies, and the administration of colonial territories. The book highlights the tension between England’s mercantilist policies, which aimed to concentrate wealth within the mother country, and the colonies’ desires for economic autonomy. This tension often manifested in conflicts over trade regulations, currency shortages, and resistance to English control, setting the stage for the eventual push towards independence.
