Hayne, Samuel. An Abstract of all the Statutes Made Concerning Aliens Trading in England...

An Important Tract Concerning Jewish Commerce in the American Colonies. The Readmission of the Jews into England in 1655 was largely contributed to by considerations of economic and political utility argued by the enlightenment thinkers of the era. Indeed, as Jewish rights expanded, so did their involvment in world trade. Samuel Hayne, the author of this tract was not impressed by mercantilist logic, and harbored residual opposition to Jewish activity in England. He determined that the Jews actually inhibited economic development because they undercut English merchants and disrupted the balance of trade with other countries. Hayne was incensed by the involment of English and Dutch Jews in trade with the American colonies. He interpreted the collusion of West Indian, New York, Dutch and English Jews as a conspiracy to squeeze Englishmen out of commerce. American Jewry, despite its miniscule numbers, was so significant a part of commercial life in the New World that Hayne felt compelled to vent his anger at it. He felt so threatened by this Jewish presence that he feared that this handful of Jews would monopolize all the plantation trade, especially in tobacco. Hayne addressed this pamphlet to King James II. It is one of the earliest documents in the English language to refer to the activity of Jews in America. The text mentions by name ten Jewish merchants involved in trade between England, Holland, New York and Barbados