Description
Book SynopsisJosiah Tucker (17131799) was one of the foremost thinkers of eighteenth-century England in the fields of economics, international relations, political theory, and imperialism. He shared the opinion, prevalent in his day, that Great Britain was underpopulated and observed with regret the immigration to America, believing that the colonies brought Britain no benefits. He thought instead that colonies were too costly to be beneficial, and, as early as 1749, he asserted that the American colonies would seek independence as soon as they no longer needed Great Britains assistance. He is one of the few men in England who consistently wrote and preached that the separation of the colonies would spell the ruin of England. Born of Welsh peasant stock in Laugharne, Carmarthenshire, Tucker was educated at St. Johns College, Oxford, and became a curate and rector successively at St. Stephens Church in Bristol. This led him to take considerable interest in politics and trade, as Bristol was second o