Summary
When the French and Indian War, and its
European counterpart, the Seven Years War, officially came to a close with the
Treaty of Paris in 1763, North America was divided territorially between the
British and Spanish. Britain had driven the French from the continent, and
extended its land claims west to the Mississippi River. It seemed that British
holdings in North America and all over the world were more secure than ever, but
there were signs of trouble brewing in the American colonies. The French had
been driven from the continent by a coalition of Britons, colonists, and Native
Americans. However, once peace was restored, this three-pronged alliance showed
signs of crumbling.
One source of conflict arose between the colonial and British soldiers. In
Britain, it was widely assumed that the professional troops sent to the colonies
deserved full credit for British victory in the war. In reality, about 40
percent of the regular soldiers who served in the war enlisted in America.
American soldiers complained constantly during and after the war that British
public opinion drastically underestimated America's part.
British soldiers, for their part, bemoaned the ineptitude of the colonial
troops. They claimed the colonials were useless in battle and had no real sense
of duty, tending to return home, even in the midst of a campaign, when their
terms were up or they were not paid on time. Colonial troops denied these
charges, and complained of British arrogance and contemptuousness in dealings
with the colonials.
British troops also quarreled with colonial civilians, who were often reluctant
to provide food and shelter to the British, and consistently complained of the
troops' poor behavior. Pennsylvania Quakers, as pacifists, voted against
appropriating funds for the war effort, and Massachusetts and New York also took
a stand against the quartering of British troops in their colonies. British
Parliament, and King George III, viewed these actions as antagonistic to the
British effort to defend imperial territories.
Another major area of contention was taxation. The colonies had profited
greatly form the war. Military contracts and expenditures by British troops had
meant a large inflow of British currency. Trade flourished, and many American's
traded with the French West Indies. This trade was illegal in peace time, and
seen as morally reprehensible during a war against the French, but it proved
very profitable. Meanwhile, the British national debt had climbed from 72
million pounds before the war to 132 million at its end. To pay down this debt,
Britain instituted a land tax at home, and imposed excise tax on many commonly
traded goods.
However, the colonists felt burdened as well. During the war, prosperous
colonists had developed a taste for imported goods. In fact, the annual value
of British imports to the colonies had doubled. Once the wartime economic boom
ended, many Americans went into debt trying to maintain their middle-class
lifestyle. Colonial debts to Britain grew rapidly, and many began to suspect
that the British were intentionally plotting to enslave the colonists
economically.
Commentary
The conflict between British and colonial soldiers was indicative of the
evolving attitudes of the two regions toward one another. The colonies began to
associate all things British with arrogance and condescension, and the British
viewed Americans as inept, irresponsible, and primitive. The colonial units in
the war were involved primarily in support roles, providing reserve forces in
battles and holding British forts. This way, the more highly trained British
professionals could lead the offensive against the French. Despite their
separation of duties, the troops interacted often enough to decide that they
disliked each other, and each side registered frequent complaints about the
other.
The conflict of soldiers and civilians highlighted a major complaint of the
colonists throughout the period of time leading up to the
revolution. The colonists were perpetually
wary of British meddling in colonial affairs, and saw the military as the
primary on-site actors in this effort. Fearing the installation of standing
armies, the colonies, throughout their histories, had been reluctant to supply
and house British troops. During the French and Indian War this reluctance
caused King George and the Parliament to question the loyalty of some colonies
and led the British government to commit even more strongly to keeping a strong
British hand in colonial business.
The issue of taxation was one that would drive a wedge between the colonies and
their mother country from this time until the end of the revolution. In
Britain, citizens were forced to pay exorbitant taxes on land and traded goods
in order to support Britain's skyrocketing debt. These citizens looked across
the ocean to see the colonists not pulling anywhere close to equal weight, even
though the colonists had been the primary beneficiaries of the war. Colonists
continued to assert their freedom from taxation and reminded British rulers that
they had not called for the war. Still, even though many Americans went through
hard times because of the collapse of the wartime boom, the colonists could not
deny the facts. The colonial debt totaled 2 million pounds to Britain's 132
million. In fact, just the interest charges on Britain's debt cost the empire 4
million pounds per year. Still, the colonists railed against taxation.
Emerging after the war was a new dynamic in Anglo-American relations. The
British sought to control their colonial possessions more tightly, and sent
greater numbers of officials to America, imposed regulations on trade, and
restricted territorial expansion to this effect. The colonies, on the other
hand, wished to be free to govern themselves, to trade as they desired, and to
expand into the West. The French and Indian 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.
