The Turning Point for the American Revolution

Beginning in the late seventeenth century, the British and French colonies in North America were involved in series of colonial wars such as King William’s War (1689-1697), Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713) and King George’s War (1743-1748) that resulted from competition between Britain and France. However, the final war, which began in 1754, increased the struggle to control the resources in the region between the Appalachian Mountains and Mississippi River. This war, which eventually spread to Europe and other parts of the world, is known by several names. In Europe, it was later called the seven years’ War, although the violence lasted for nine years. In America, they called it the French and Indian War, which is in some ways, is not correct because the Indian fought for both the French and the English. The French and Indian War took place in the modern day Ohio Valley, where both France and Britain held claims to land and trading rights. Nine years later, in 1763, Great Britain and France signed the treaty of Paris, which officially ended the war between two nations. Under the terms of the agreement, France was effectively driven out of Canada, leaving Britain the dominant North American power. After the departure of the French, the British government felt very secure and confident in its position in North America; however, this conflict created other difficulties for the British in North America, mainly creating tension and resentment between them, the colonies, and the Native Americans. These factors gradually created a hostile environment which ignited the American Revolution.
After signing the treaty of Paris, the mood throughout British Empire in both England and colonies was triumphant. The British began to expand their empire, which made the Indian (Native America) communities felt insecure about their properties. In order to support their lands, the Indians had no choice but to work with the British, who in many ways had less respect for them than the French did. “The British General Jeffrey Amherst held the Indians in contempt. In an attempt to reduce expenditures, Amherst curtailed the exchanged of gifts with the Indians, a decision that cause much resentment among the tribes. Seeking to end conflicts between colonist and Indians, the British government announced the Proclamation of 1763, which established the boundary line that follows the Appalachian Mountains. Settlers were not to occupy lands west of the line. However most of the colonist ignored the boundary and the British found it impossible to enforce its decree” (Thomas Clarkin). For the Native Americans, the French defeat meant loss of negotiating powers and eventually, their lands.
The war also had a negative result for relations between colonies and Great Britain. The scale and scope of the French and Indian War was far greater than those of the earlier wars, which meant that more coordination was required between the British and their allies in the war, the colonies. “Waging war against New France during the 1750s had required close contact and cooperation between the British and the colonists to a degree never before reached” (Thomas Clarkin, 54). This, however, resulted in more tension between the allies. “…the interpersonal contact between colonies and British regulars cause both side to have negative opinions about each other” (Thomas Clarkin, 54). After helping the British defeat the French, the colonial government felt that it should be able to have more control over its own policies. This created more tension, which revealed that colonist perceived their role in the empire in a completely different way than British authorities did.
Over the years considerable distance from Britain had led the colonies to rely on their assemblies for governmental and financial policies. Although the colonial governors where loyal to the British Empire, they found it increasingly difficult to conduct their affairs without the support of their local assemblies. The British had sent several commanders to America to prepare for war against its enemies. They had expected that they would get the full corporation of the colonial government; however, they were shocked and angered to find that the assemblies wanted an equal say in the conduct of the war, including housing/quartering, supplies, and recruitment (Thomas Clarkin). The assemblies argued that since colonial money, resources, and manpower was being used for the war effort, they wanted to take part in deciding the direction of the war. The British commanders, who had little respect for the colonial government, saw the colonist as being ungrateful and unruly. This resentment created a hostile environment between the British forces and the colonial government.
For many of the colonist in British North America, the war was the first time they had come in to contact with the large number of people from Great Briton. “The British regulars were a rough lot, typically drawn from the lowest classes of society and sometimes having criminal background. These behaviors pulsed the unpopular recruiting and quartering policies, created an attitude of contempt toward the solders and, to some degree, England in general” (Thomas clarkin, 55). The Colonies saw the British as an irreligious and arrogant people. On the other hand, British viewed the colonist as greedy and unprincipled (Sparknotes). Throughout the war, British officers claimed that colonial merchants profited from the war by overcharging the army for supplies. These bitter and hostile feelings remained with both sides even after the war had ended, which created a chain reaction that eventually culminated in the American Revolution.
The financial aspect of the French and Indian War also contributed to the coming of the revolution. British policies of using more troops and spending money from the British treasury to fight the war did not resolve the deeper problems between the mother countries and the colonies. After the war, British government found it self burdened with a debt of approximately £145 million, so during the1760s they started taxing the colonies to pay for the war. It was these tax increases that sparked protests against taxation without representation (Thomas clarkin, 55).
Overall the French and Indian War shaped the future of North America in ways that no earlier war had. This war was hailed as a victory for Britain in its attempt to control its colonies, but the conditions immediately after the war's close set the stage for a widening rift rather than the maintenance of affable relations.