The French and Indian War is also known as the Seven Year’s War in Europe but didn’t exactly last seven years in North America. The war ranged from 1754 to 1763 but the effects lasted far beyond nine years. This war started due to land disputes between the French and the British colonist, which got the French kicked out of the majority North America. During the war Britain and its colonies unite against the French and their allies but the alliance between the British colonist and its motherland didn’t last long. This was the first sign of evidence of the revolution. Following the French and Indian war, the relationship between the British colonies ruptures while the colonist take their first step towards independence from the motherland. The government issued regulations, such as the Proclamation of 1763, along with enforcement new acts such as the stamp act; all leading to ideological changes shown through a new sense of pride.
New regulations, such as the Proclamation of 1763, after the French and Indian war contributed to the rupturing relationship between the Britain and its colonies. During the beginning of the war France still had territory in North America but was taken by the British colonies at the end of the war in 1763 (Doc A). This document is historically accurate which can be shown through the Treaty of Paris. The war started ended on 1762 and the Treaty of Paris was created following the victory of the British against the French. The Treaty of Paris gave French North America territory to the British, which is pictured on the map. After the colonist gained the territory from France, through the Treaty of Paris, they wanted to expand westward and settle. The Indians have longed thought that the whites did not belong on their land (Doc B). This document was directed to all whites that were invading the natives land. This may have been a long issue but this caused the Powhatan rebellion to emerge to protect their land. The Indians may have lost but Britain could not afford another bloody rebellion which they then are forced create the Proclamation Act of 1763 to avoid another Indian rebellion. The Proclamation Act of 1763 stated that colonies were not allowed the to settle west of the Appalachian Mountains. After fighting and shedding blood for this land, the colonist resent this act and some continue to settle west (OE). This disobedience is proof of the newfound resentment and step towards independence from Britain. Document A sets the background showing the territories Britain has gained while Document B adds on the hatred on white colonies invading their land. Both documents work together to form the background of the Proclamation Act of 1763; all leading to the idea of the rupturing relation between the British colonist and their motherland.
Due to the expensive French and Indian War, Britain fell into a financial debt and turned to the colonist for help; with new taxation acts, colonist grew furious furthering the rupturing relationship. To help get out of debt, the colonist strictly enforced laws such as the Navigation Act and created new laws such as the Stamp Act. These laws were highly unpopular in the colonist, which led to resentment and a rift in their relationship. The British Order in the council agrees with the idea that the colonist must provide large revenue since money is being used on them through protection (Doc F). This text has a bias towards the British shown through his one-sided argument. His bias could easily impact the way he thinks of the colonist paying large amounts of revenue. The stamp act was one of the most unpopular of these taxes. Many people, such as Benjamin Franklin, wanted the stamp act to be repealed correctly with patience and when the time is right (Doc G). It purposes was to ensure the citizens that liberty would eventually be granted. They then repealed the Stamp Act with the use of boycotting and Protesting (OE). Propaganda was a lot another tool they used to defeat the stamp act; it portrayed the stamp used in the stamp act with expiring message (Doc H). The purpose of this propaganda was to get the colonist to stand up to the stamp act. Repealing the stamp act proves the rupturing relations between the Britain and its colonies. All three documents add on to one another. The first document (Doc F) portrays how Britain feels about the situation. They did not feel guilty or care about the colonist feelings. The next document then adds by saying the stamp act is going to be repealed but you have to have patience. The last document then adds an example of a tool they used to repeal the act. All three documents work together to prove that the colony has a rupturing relationship with Britain while being on the verge of freedom. This is shown through the colonist furiousness and resentment towards their motherland.
The war provided the colonist insight of how Britain is truly like leading to a new sense of pride in them and less in the mother colonies. Colonist militias and the joined forces together in the French and Indian war to defeat the French but that relationship proved to be very reluctant. On March 15, 1755, in the beginning of the war, George Washington writes a letter to Aid General Braddock. In this letter he shows pride in serving Great Britain (Doc C). This letter is reliable because it will contain no bias in a private letter. The pride mentioned in document c did not last. As the war went on the relationship already starts to rupture. English men born soldiers are given less right and were denied the Englishman’s Liberty (Doc D). The purpose of this was to show the future generations the truth of what really happened on the battlefield. This colonist soldier wrote in a journal in hope that one may find it just in case he dies. This is a sight of the beginning of the rupturing relationship. With the denied right some soldiers lost pride in serving for the mother country but found pride in them after the war. Thomas Barnard talks with a new sense of pride for himself and the colonies future (Doc E). Since he is a reverent, his intended audience is colonist in Massachusetts listening to his sermons. The transfer of the sense of pride from the mother country to themselves is a sign of the rupturing and start of independence. This can be shown through the loss of pride in the mother country from document C to document D. Document E then gives the final touches and adds on the new sense of pride the colonist get after the war. Although the idea of British invincibility gets destroyed (OE) the colonist establish a new sense of pride in them instead of the Great Britain proving their rupturing relationship and their first step to independence.
The Proclamation Act of 1763, Stamp Act, and the newfound pride in the colonist were effect of the French and Indian War. All three lead to the resentment of the motherland and first step towards independence. The Proclamation angered many colonists along with the stamp act. The only difference is the stamp act gave the colonist the attitude of; “no taxation without representation.” while the pride was decreased in the motherland and established on the colonies. This took a step towards independence and shaped the society we have today. The French and Indian war made our independence today possible through those chains of events.