November 26, 2011
American Revolution is such an important part of US history that shapes the United States today. British claiming much of the territory of the New World, through numbers of wars, the British find themselves in debt. The British colonies in North America revolted against the Crown and wars have struck out. French and Indian War has altered the relationship between Britain and its American colonies economically. This has caused the colonists to change their ideology from toleration to resentment toward Britain.
The French and Indian War
The French and Indian War have largely affected the political relationship between Britain and its American Colonies. In the Seventeenth century, the Great Britain have settled at numbers of colonies in America. Many of the settlers needed to rely on imported goods to do business in America. Salutary neglect was a policy set by the British Crown to avoid strict enforcement of parliamentary laws of strict regulations, particularly trade laws, imposed on the American colonies. (Wallenfeldt, 2017) The French and Indian War, which was also called the Seven Year War, caused Britain with a massive amount of debt. The British have started to impose taxes on colonies and regulations which the colonies started to stand against the crown.
Historical Events
At the time Great Britain was in deep economic crisis, however, Americans were prosperous. Also, the 13 colonies in America were segregated. The Crown let America thrive on its own to prosper however setting no rules has its own downside. To prevent future colonization in the Native American land, to strike another war the Proclamation of 1763 has been put in place. The Proclamation has set boundaries between the colonist and the Native American land. No settlement was allowed beyond the Appalachian Mountain, including settlers already there. There was also the 1765 Parliament of the Quartering Act, which states that Americans have to pay for the British soldiers, although after the French and Indian War, there was no need for them. Although, Great Britain was under debt and needed financial support from the Americans. The Crown imposed taxes such as the Stamp Act and the Townsend Acts.
The Stamp Act required all legal document printed to be taxed. The Crown has also put a tax on imported goods, such as tea, called the Townsend Acts. This has led to boycotting in Boston, Massachusetts, later known as the Boston Tea Party. The colonist has started not buying imported goods from the British and then demonstrated by dumping imported teas into the ocean. 1774, the First Continental Congress takes place to list the issues that colonies had with Britain. The Battle of Lexington and Concord has broken out and the Second Continental Congress takes place again, making 13 colonies to work together to put an army and George Washington appointed to the commander in chief. American Revolution comes about and colonist needed to put together a draft of common sense. “During the early summer of 1776, a committee of Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and others worked on a declaration of why the colonies were dissolving their political ties with Great Britain.” (Colorado State University-Global Campus, 2017) Declaration of Independence was put in place for the 13 colonies to be part of the United States of America.
Grievances in the Declaration of Independence
In the Declaration of Independence, the colonist express grievances in the document. The colonist was angered by the tax imposed without any consent and the taxes on trade. The Stamp Act and the Townsend Act have brought colonist too many despairs. Colonist partly relied on imported trade. The Declaration of Independence also mentions that the Crown “has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.” (The Independence Hall Association, 1776) One of the biggest concern that people had was that people did not have the right to a fair trial. The king would appoint their criminal act and be unfairly trialed. People did not have a chance to prove that they are innocent.
Conclusion
The economic relationships have been altered by the French and Indian War economically. The war enabled Britain to be active in colonial political and economic affairs, which by imposing regulations and levying taxes unfairly on the colonies.
As the British find themselves in debt, and colonists to change their ideology from toleration to resentment toward Britain. Our founding fathers have set the ground for common sense for this country. The Declaration of Independence has become the core to shapes the American democracy we have today.
References
Colorado State University-Global Campus. – The America Revolution
[Schoology ecourse]. In HST 201 – U.S. History I. Greenwood Village,
The Independence Hall Association. (1776) The Declaration of Independence. Retrieved from
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/
Wallenfeldt, J. Salutary neglect. Retrieved from
https://www.britannica.com/topic/salutary-neglect
