Seven Year War Dbq Analysis

For about a century after British colonists settled in America, they were subject to little political constriction under England’s policy of salutary neglect, but when the settlers were threatened by the French and their native American allies, the mother country stepped in and fought to protect the colonies. The war was named “The Seven Year War”. The seven year war changed the friendship between the mother country and the colonies. The change was especially in an ideological sense. The French and Indian War (1754-1763) altered the political, economical, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies. English debt lead to unfair taxation of the colonists, and this changed the way they felt about their mother country.What was also altered was, the expansion of land in America that was once uncovered, the way the Americans strived for independence after the war, and the
approach the Americans took against the British political structure after the seven year war. The British success in the French and Indian War transformed the relationship between Britain and the American colonies forever.

After the French and Indian War, the countries colonizing North America changed. After 1763 (Doc. A), English colonies dominated the new world. This put political relationship between Britain and the American colonists at risk, because it lead to the Proclamation of 1763. The Native Americans (Doc. B) believed "they had no right to settle." The Proclamation was Britain's idea of preventing any more conflict. However, the colonists were very upset, and believed that they were being deprived of their right to be free. Other political changes i, Britain's abandonment of their salutary neglect policy. After the French and Indian War, England was left with the massive debt they had acquired during the previous years. In turn, they began to strictly regulate the trade, and impose taxes on commonly used items. Although Britain attributed these changes to their (Doc. F) "virtual increase in territory," the colonists were infuriated. They felt this was unjust taxation.

All this sudden taxation and regulation took a huge toll on the economic relationship between the colonists and their mother country. Prior to the French and Indian War, the Hat, Wool and Iron Acts forced the Americans to ship their raw the material to Britain, only to later buy the finished products from them. However, with the heavy British taxation, mercantilism was soon abandoned when the colonists decided to fight back. The Stamp Act enraged many of the elite colonists, and as Benjamin Franklin states (Doc.G), they wanted to "get it repeal’d" as soon as possible. With boycotting as their weapon, they practiced non-importation and non-consumption, thus harming the economic relationship the between the two parties.

Although colonial ideological values toward Britain began to change during the French and Indian war, the colonists' ability to go through with the boycotts proved they could unite to make changes.
All the taxation and regulation added to the resentment colonists already felt prior to the Proclamation of 1763. Also, the French and Indian War, helped American soldiers realize they had less liberty than Englishmen. A Massachusetts soldier wrote (Doc. D) "we are debarred Englishman's liberty." American resentment that arose during this period helped trigger colonial rebellion.

The French and Indian War is to blame for the American Revolution. Ideologically, it brought up colonial feelings of resentment toward Britain. It also changed the political relationship between England and its colonists because the English were forced to unfairly tax them due to their economic0al struggles. The colonists in turn, boycotted, thus further damaging their economic relationship with their mother country. After the French and Indian War, America drastically changed would never be the
same