The French and Indian War Led to the Revolutionary War

The French and Indian War, which happened between 1754 and 1763 was a stepping-stone for what would become known as the Revolutionary War. The French and Indian War was originally a dispute over the Ohio River Valley. The French considered it their territory, where as the English considered it theirs. While it was a territorial dispute between the countries, the war took place in the colonies. The colonist fought bravely beside the British, whereas the Indians sided with the French. At the beginning all the countries wanted was to claim the Ohio River Valley as their own; however, the outcome of the war was very different. By fighting for that territory, the French sacrificed not only Quebec, but also all claim on land in the New World. The British might have won the war, but they also sacrificed their colonies in an unforeseen way. The treatment of the American colonist during The French and Indian War led to Economical, Political and Ideological changes that would alter the relationship between Britain and her American Colonies forever.

The end of The French and Indian war came with great relief for the colonist; however, the relief was short lived. The war had racked up a huge war debt and a huge amount of land that needed protection as shown in Document A. To pay off the debt and protect the land that had been acquired from the war, Britain was going to need to make some drastic changes. With the huge war debt, Britain could not afford to allow the Colonist to go on their merry way. In terms of money, the British came up with the Stamp act of 1765 as a means to pay for the war debt and protection of the land. This act required all papers to carry a stamp, which in turn taxed the colonist. As shown in Doc G, the colonists wer...

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...l. This involvement the colonist did not agree with and the more Britain pushed, the more the colonist disliked Britain. As shown in Doc H, “The Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Advertiser,” just two years since the end of the war, the artist drew skull and crossbones on the main part of the masthead and then off to the side it says “Adieu Adieu to LIBERTY.” This shows how many colonists felt about the changes occurring after the war.

The treatment of the colonist during the war and the Economical, Political and Ideological changes that were experienced after the war created a ticking time bomb. With every act, law or word that was exchanged or passed between Britain and the colonist added fuel to the fire. The relationships between Britain and the Colonist had changed due to the war and the bomb was inevitably set to blow up at the time of the American Revolution.