French and Indian War and the Identity of America

Taylor Nelson
Essay 4
August 15, 2012 The French and Indian War was named after the opponents of the British during King George’s rule. The French and Indian War lasted from 1754-1763. It has also been referred to as the Seven Years’ War. The war was between the colonies of British America and New France. In 1756, the war became a worldwide conflict. With the elimination of the French threat in North America, colonists felt that they could move into lands west of the Appalachian Mountains. The Indians living in the area no longer had control of it due to the French loss. This expansionism of many Americans was the opposite of what the British policymakers wanted. The British felt that if the colonists continued to expand past the Appalachian Mountains they were more likely to turn against the British government. After the defeat of the French, the colonists no longer felt the need to have regular British soldiers in their towns and cities. The absence of the French allowed many colonists to be more focused on local and personal interests, rather than monarchial concerns. A lot of the colonists felt that they no longer needed to be ruled by the British monarchy. A new American identity was forming and a number of colonists no longer regarded themselves as British. Following the French and Indian War, more and more problems surfaced between the British colonies and Great Britain. Merchants in the colonies did not accept the need to limit their profits in order to fit into the mercantilist mold. The merchants wondered why the economic benefit of those in Great Britain mattered more than their own in the colonies. Many men that had served in the war felt resentment toward the British officers because of their condensing attitudes and the many insults that had been given to the men. Britain’s efforts to tighten the control on the colonies eventually led to an outbreak of the Americans. This eventually led to the American Revolution. The defeat of the French helped the colonists gain a sense of independence and national identity. The Americans began to realize the amount of control that the British monarchy and government had over the colonies. After the French and Indian War, the colonists felt that they could expand into the lands west of the Appalachian Mountains, to the dismay of the British. He colonists no longer felt the need of the presence of British soldiers in their towns and cities after the French were defeated. The Americans felt that they should be concerned about their own economic benefits and not those of Great Britain. Many factors contributed to the development of an American identity after the French and Indian War.