The distance from Britain and the size of the British Empire was an advantage for the colonies. It was expensive to send British troops to the colonies. For many years, the British government’s philosophy was one of “salutary neglect.” This meant that they would pass laws to regulate trade in the colonies, but they did not do much to enforce them. The British knew that the colonies were benefiting from goods from the Dutch, French, and Spanish, however. Eventually, in 1763, they began to enforce many of the trade restrictions and even passed new ones. —Independence Hall Association, On The Declaration

9.
Based on the information in the excerpt the colonists had been violating what British policy for some time?
Stamp Act
Mercantilism
Free enterprise
Intolerable Acts