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The Iron Act of 1750 The American colonists had a hard time getting thei iron industry started, not only because of lack of infrastructure and lack of investment capital, but also, believe it or not, because the mother country tried very hard to not let us start our own industry. But why, you would rightly ask? Before 1776, the American colonies were resources for Great Britain, and it may seem counterintuitive that London would want to inhibit the development of its own colony. The problem was competition. England had already realized that the virtual inexpense of raw materials in the colonies, coupled with (at times) relatively low labor costs, would lead to American foundies outcompeting the established British foundries. Thus London tried to protect its domestic iron industry byt severly limiting the colonial iron industry. This is where the Iron Act of 1750 The earlier Iron laws of 1703 - Steven A. Walton, Penn State STS Program |
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comes into the picture.