Salutary neglect
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Salutary neglect was an undocumented, though longstanding, British policy of avoiding strict enforcement of parliamentary laws meant to keep the American colonies subservient -or obedient- to Great Britain. Prime Minister Robert Walpole stated that if no restrictions were on the colonies, they would flourish[citation needed]. This policy, which spanned from about 1607 to 1750, allowed the actual enforcement of trade relations laws to be lenient. King George III ended this policy through acts such as the Stamp Act and Sugar Act, causing tensions within the colonies.
It is believed that salutary neglect was a large contributing factor that led to the American Revolutionary War. Since the imperial authority didn't assert the power that it had, the colonists were left to govern themselves. These essentially sovereign colonies soon became accustomed to the idea of self-control. The effects of such prolonged isolation eventually resulted in the emergence of a collective identity that considered itself separate from Great Britain.
