Colonial American Fiber Law information from Hands on History

OK, this particular site leaves out all but the English Viewpoint, but it has good information on that view.

According to Hands on History, Inc.org:
"....began with English settlement of Jamestown, Virginia in 1607 and ended at the beginning of the Revolutionary War in 1775. Establishing permanent settlements in North America was a way for the British to obtain raw materials from the colonies then in turn, provide the colonists with manufactured goods."

My take on their report:  from the point of view of the early settlers (from Great Britain) still considered themselves subjects of The Crown.  Many of the British still in England were focussed on the colonies as a resource of raw materials and as a market for British goods.  The American Colonies were an investment. 

"To ensure continuation of trade with the colonies England tried to discourage colonial cloth manufacture, high tariffs were levied on looms and spinning wheels. The British also passed acts forbidding the export and the sale of cloth woven in the colonies. "



Maybe our National Flower should be the Linum Usitatissimum.



Keep in mind that the British and their Parliament had a long history of govenrmental control; as an example:  requiring the wearing of caps by the 'Cappers Act' of 1571.  They hadn't counted on the "strong spirit of independence among the colonists. As the desire for independence grew so did the price of imported European cloth. It soon became not only practical, but a sign of patriotism as well, to spin and weave one's own cloth. The first sound of revolution was the rhythmic "thwack" of the beater against the web of colonial looms."

As the ties were severed with Great Britain, the Colonists began manufacturing their own spinning wheels, looms and other textile tools, growing flax and raising sheep to provide fiber for spinning yarn.