Foreshadowing the Revolution
Ernesto Taylor
25 November 2012
AP US History
Mr. Gowen Pd. 7
Colonial Oppression and The American Revolution By the 1760’s the colonies were becoming more and more discontented with the influence of Great Britain. The Seven Years War left Britain in a difficult situation. With an army in the new world and debt to be paid, Britain was forced to impose a number of taxes and policies on the new world colonists. These policies would help Britain maintain a military in the new world and pay off debt, but ultimately spelled the doom of their hold on the North American colonies. The policies infuriated the colonists. It was only a matter of time before the colonists did something about it. The Seven Years War caused Britain to spend beyond its means in order to secure North American land. As a result of this, the nation found itself in terrible debt. Considering how Britain helped support and develop the colonies into thriving societies, Parliament decided it was time for the colonies to help support Britain financially. The colonists thought completely differently. Taxation was seen as a threat. The British government sapped wealth from other territories in Scotland and Ireland among other colonies. The Colonists feared, and rightfully so, that the same would be done to them. Parliament lacked colonial representation, which meant the colonists were subject to the will of the British government. The colonists were in danger of becoming nothing more than Britain’s piggy bank. Before British imperial policies angered the colonists, it was the Seven Years War that set the table for the American Revolution. The Seven Years War was over and the colonial oppression was about to begin. One of the first acts that affected the colonists was the Proclamation of 1763. After The Seven Years War, the colonists were excited to explore the vast frontier that awaited them towards the west. However, this proclamation prevented them from doing so. “The proclamation provided that
25 November 2012
AP US History
Mr. Gowen Pd. 7
Colonial Oppression and The American Revolution By the 1760’s the colonies were becoming more and more discontented with the influence of Great Britain. The Seven Years War left Britain in a difficult situation. With an army in the new world and debt to be paid, Britain was forced to impose a number of taxes and policies on the new world colonists. These policies would help Britain maintain a military in the new world and pay off debt, but ultimately spelled the doom of their hold on the North American colonies. The policies infuriated the colonists. It was only a matter of time before the colonists did something about it. The Seven Years War caused Britain to spend beyond its means in order to secure North American land. As a result of this, the nation found itself in terrible debt. Considering how Britain helped support and develop the colonies into thriving societies, Parliament decided it was time for the colonies to help support Britain financially. The colonists thought completely differently. Taxation was seen as a threat. The British government sapped wealth from other territories in Scotland and Ireland among other colonies. The Colonists feared, and rightfully so, that the same would be done to them. Parliament lacked colonial representation, which meant the colonists were subject to the will of the British government. The colonists were in danger of becoming nothing more than Britain’s piggy bank. Before British imperial policies angered the colonists, it was the Seven Years War that set the table for the American Revolution. The Seven Years War was over and the colonial oppression was about to begin. One of the first acts that affected the colonists was the Proclamation of 1763. After The Seven Years War, the colonists were excited to explore the vast frontier that awaited them towards the west. However, this proclamation prevented them from doing so. “The proclamation provided that