British laws restricting the colonies were poorly enforced (A).
"Salutary neglect" was the policy adopted by England towards its American colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. The idea was to stop enforcing the laws restricting the freedom of the colonies in order to let them flourish economically instead. Such laws, which weren't strictly enforced, include the Navigation Acts, which banned trade between the colonies and other nations outside Great Britain.
