When the French and Indian War finally ended in 1763, no British subject on either side of the Atlantic could have foreseen the coming conflicts between the parent country and its North American colonies. Even so, the seeds of these conflicts were planted during, and as a result of, this war. Keep in mind that the French and Indian War (known in Europe as the Seven Years' War) was a global conflict. Even though Great Britian defeated France and its allies, the victory came at great cost. In January 1763, Great Britain's national debt was more than 122 million pounds [the British monetary unit], an enormous sum for the time. Interest on the debt was more than 4.4 million pounds a year. Figuring out how to pay the interest alone absorbed the attention of the King and his ministers.
Nor was the problem of the imperial debt the only one facing British leaders in the wake of the Seven Years' War. Maintaining order in America was a significant challenge. Even with Britain's acquisition of Canada from France, the prospects of peaceful relations with the Indian tribes were not good. As a result, the British decided to keep a standing army in America. This decision would lead to a variety of problems with the colonists. In addition, an Indian uprising on the Ohio frontier--Pontiac's Rebellion--led to the Proclamation of 1763, which forbade colonial settlement west of the Allegany Mountains. This, too, would lead to conflicts with land-hungry settlers and land speculators like George Washington (see map above).
British leaders also felt the need to tighten control over their empire. To be sure, laws regulating imperial trade and navigation had been on the books for generations, but American colonists were notorious for evading these regulations. They were even known to have traded with the French during the recently ended war. From the British point of view, it was only right that American colonists should pay their fair share of the costs for their own defense. If additional revenue could also be realized through stricter control of navigation and trade, so much the better. Thus the British began their attempts to reform the imperial system.
In 1764, Parliament enacted the Sugar Act, an attempt to raise revenue in the colonies through a tax on molasses. Although this tax had been on the books since the 1730s, smuggling and laxity of enforcement had blunted its sting. Now, however, the tax was to be enforced. An outcry arose from those affected, and colonists implemented several effective protest measures that centered around boycotting British goods. Then in 1765, Parliament enacted the Stamp Act, which placed taxes on paper, playing cards, and every legal document created in the colonies. Since this tax affected virtually everyone and extended British taxes to domestically produced and consumed goods, the reaction in the colonies was pervasive. The Stamp Act crisis was the first of many that would occur over the next decade and a half.
What were the problems of the american frontier after 1763 and how did the British address...
How did tobacco fulfill the American Promise for the first British settlers to the American colonies? On the flipside to this, how did tobacco create a living hell for people who lived in the colonies?
Question 1 All the following were long-term origins of the American Revolution except: British kings were constantly imposing new and harsh tax and trade regulations The 'ideology of republicanism' along with Enlightenment and Great Awakening ideas, Britain, constantly at war, lacked coherent imperial policies and largely ignored the colonies. Colonists, used to governing themselves, felt they had the same rights as subjects in Britain. Question 2 All were immediate (short-term) causes of the American Revolution except: The Boston Massacre" and...
When Dr. Samuel Johnson, the British writer, asked how it was “that we hear the loudest yelps for liberty from the drivers of negroes,” he was pointing to a key irony of the American independence movement. What arguments did supporters of American independence use to justify retaining the institution of slavery? Did any of their contemporaries in America counter their arguments? How?
Essay question in American History: How did life in the North compare to life in the South for African American migrants at the end of the nineteenth century and early twentieth century?
Subject: CD Rates and the Bond Market Please answer the following question: Why did the bond market activity boom immediately after the financial crisis of 2007-2008? How were large firms and small firms affected differently by the crisis? Explain. Please at least 250 words. Please don't copy from anywhere and write in your own words. Thank You!
How did implementing a data warehouse help American Water move toward a more centralized organization? Give some examples of problems that would have occurred at American Water if its data were not "clean"? How did American Water's data warehouse improve operations and management decision making?
in 250 words or more explain how would you rate your reading ability? What are your specific problems with respect to reading, & what are you going to do to address them?
What are the key economic problems in the 1970s? How did the Nixon presidency alter the trajectory of the office? 500 words
1) What are the two steps in the two-factor theory of emotion? 2) What were the sensations you had that indicated to you that you were having an emotional response? 3) How did you decipher or make sense of that emotional response? In other words, what information did you use to determine what emotion you were experiencing? And what emotion was it? To receive full credit, you must address each aspect of the question. Please write in complete sentences and...
How did Thomas Jefferson envision the American Republic? In what ways did Hamilton oppose this vision? Who eventually succeeded and how?