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British and colonial american relations
George Washington's impact on society
British and colonial american relations
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In the early English colonial days of the 1600s to early 1700s, Britain largely left its colonies to their own bidding, giving them decades of salutary neglect. Very few regulations were put into place, and those that were generally weren’t enforced. In these years the American people enjoyed a happy imperial relationship without any of the accompanying restrictions, and had a positive view of Britain. This remained so until the French and Indian War of 1763, which severely altered the relationship between Britain and the New World. Over the course of the war, the colonies developed new political and ideological relations towards Britain. However the economic strain of the war was the largest pull on their relation, with Britain placing new taxation and regulations on the colonials to relieve Britain of its war debt. …show more content…
George Washington himself was proud to serve “Believing a more favourable opportunity cannot offer, than to serve under a Gentlemen of General Braddock’s abilities and experience.” (Doc C). These views slowly deteriorated over the course of the war. With more interaction between colonials and those of the motherland, Americans began to realize how little Britain valued them, and how they were treated as lessers. One colonial soldier recorded his woes, “... are not likely to get liquors or clothes at this time of the year; and though we be Englishmen born, we are debarred Englishman's liberty.” The American people were enjoying an imperial rule that didn’t have the normal amounts of controls and lacks of freedom, so when Britain sought to change this, they were not happy to see their liberties go. This was demonstrated in 1756 when Britain began to force colonials to fight among other regulations, resulting in
The relationship between Britain and her Americans colonies slowly deteriorated between the 1750s and the beginning of the American Revolution. When the first British immigrants settled in America, the relationship of the colonies and their mother country was somewhat peaceful. In the following generations, however, their relationship became tenser as Britain imposed policies and taxes on unrepresented American colonists. The British believed they were right in doing so because they had large debts to pay from ongoing wars with France. These taxes caused uprisings among colonists which contributed to British occupation in America, leading to more rebellions. Eventually, the rift in the relationship between the colonists and the British led to the Revolutionary War and the formation of a new country.
McCullough describes washington as a leader of many qualities in which makes him successful. After making the British evacuate from Boston, washington is praised for being such a courageous and smart leader, therefore lifting morale around American troops. The war most likely would not have been won without George Washington's help most likely due to his incredible leadership skills. The colonies are virtually nothing without George Washington because he keeps them together by asking congress to support them and as McCullough describes, is relentless about doing so as we're Knox and Greene later on. George Washington was so important that even the loyalists plotted to assassinate him with hopes to derail the American rebellion. However, the colonies success wasn't just off George washington. Mccullough describes the average british soldier as strong and more fit compared to the colonial soldier, superior and overall well trained.The fact that the colonies were untrained made the British cocky, Making them think they didn't have to use their superior weaponry thinking the Americans would surrender out of free will. McCullough gives us an insight to how the Americans tried new things using their resources making great things with what little they
When the colonies were being formed, many colonists came from England to escape the restrictions placed upon them by the crown. Britain had laws for regulating trade and collecting taxes, but they were generally not enforced. The colonists had gotten used to being able to govern themselves. However, Britain sooned changed it’s colonial policy because of the piling debt due to four wars the British got into with the French and the Spanish. The most notable of these, the French and Indian War (or the Seven Years’ War), had immediate effects on the relationship between the colonies and Great Britain, leading to the concept of no taxation without representation becoming the motivating force for the American revolutionary movement and a great symbol for democracy amongst the colonies, as Britain tried to tighten their hold on the colonies through various acts and measures.
In conclusion due to over 150 years of neglect the new colonies had develop a culture and heritage quite unique to the Old world of thought. If Britain had not treated the colonist as cast off rubbish and had given them some guidance, during that 150 yrs., the colonies would not rebel. But after 1763 they insisted that they conform to the old British ways and that would eventually force the colonies into revolution.
The British Empire has had a long lasting and strong influence on the American colonies for over three centuries. From the 16th century all the way to the 18th century, the British empire has held power within the colonies in terms of legislature, economy, and social stature. The British’s rule has been both a positive and negative driving force
The French and Indian War (1754-63) altered the political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies. It changed the political relationship between England and its colonists because the English forced taxes on the colonies, due to their economical struggles, and impose regulations on colonial life. Ideologically, the war brought up feelings of anger from the colonies toward Britain
The British policies having to do with the American colonies that passed between 1763 and 1776 were an attempt by Britain to have the colonists pay for the French and Indian War and an attempt to keep the colonies subservient to British rule. However these policies backfired and cause the colonist’s to resist British authority and strengthened their commitment to republican values in government. The policies implemented new taxes in order to raise funds and caused what the colonists believed to be injustices to go unchecked by the government, as well as causing the colonists to turn to republican ways of self-governing. The colonists felt as if they were not being properly represented in the British parliament, which led to them turning towards
The French and Indian War impacted the trans-Atlantic economic relationship between the motherland and her colonies. Before the war colonists were rushing to buy new British manufactured goods resulting from the early stages of the industrial revolution. To pay for these manufactured goods, colonists increased their export of raw materials for sale to Britain. Although the exports were able to pay for a significant portion of cost of British imports, a significant shortfall was covered by British loans. This economic relationship saturated much of pre-French and Indian War colonial America and became normal. After 1763, Britain was in dreadful need for revenue to pay for the French and Indian War. Britain was clever on finding ways to raise revenue from the colonies. From 1650 to the end of the French and Indian War was a period of "salutary neglect." Britain had very little involvement in the lifestyle of the colonies. After the French and Indian War, mercantilism became strictly enforced. Merc...
The origin of England's dependence on the colonies began during the French and Indian war, in the 1750s-1760s. In this war, the British were quite inexperienced; their European style of fighting did not work against the guerilla-warfare fighting style of the French. The British wore bright red coats, marched in long lines, often lugging cannons around with them, while the French hid behind trees and picked them off one by one. General Braddock relied on his force of ill-disciplined American militiamen, who used behind-the-tree methods of fighting in order to fight the Indians. After many years of fighting, the British finally came out victorious. Although England emerged from this war as one of the biggest empires in the world, it also possessed the biggest debt. They had poured much money and resources into these colonies in order to keep them as their own, and it was time for the colonies to give something back to the British for protecting them from the Indians. They finally realized what a precious gift the colonies were, and how useful they would be. In this war, the British realized that the colonies were their pawns in a global game of chess. At any time, the British felt that they had the right to impose taxes on the colonies, in order to make up for money that was lost in the French and Indian War to defend them. They had the view that because they had done so much to help the colonies, that the colonies had to repay them.
The Seven Years War, or sometimes referred to as the French and Indian war, took place in the year 1754 and finally came to a conclusion in 1763, just prior to the American Revolution. The French and Indian war is often a war that’s importance is overlooked throughout the history of America. The French and Indian war set the stage for the George Washington to become the most important American figure in history. The events and battles of the Seven Years War would lead the colonist to helping the British defeat the French and their counterparts, the Native Americans. What took place during the Seven Years War would affect the colonist forever. The war would ultimately change the focus and mindset of the colonist. The colonist would begin to develop a mindset of power and independence, and finally break free from British rule, and into an American Revolution.
A new era was dawning on the American colonies and its mother country Britain, an era of revolution. The American colonists were subjected to many cruel acts of the British Parliament in order to benefit England itself. These British policies were forcing the Americans to rebellious feelings as their rights were constantly being violated by the British Crown. The colonies wanted to have an independent government and economy so they could create their own laws and stipulations. The British imperial policies affected the colonies economic, political, and geographic situation which intensified colonists’ resistance to British rule and intensified commitment to their republican values.
Before the French and Indian War, the colonies did not associate with one another. Participation in the war, as well as temporarily setting aside their economic, political, and cultural differences helped the colonies form a better relationship with each other. One of the main reasons the colonists began rebelling against the British, was because of the imposed taxation issued after the war. The Sugar and Stamp Act created riots and violence among the colonists and this colonial resistance to the British policies resulted in a new unity between the colonies. Needless to say, “by seeking to impose uniformity on the colonies rather than dealing with them individually as in the past, Parliament had inadvertently united America” (Foner 143).
The French and Indian War or the Seven Years War was one of the major events that led to the American Revolution. The French and Indian War started in 1754 when George Washington and General Edward Braddock tried to defend the British land that they felt the French were taking with their expansion into the Ohio River valley. In 1755 Governor William Shirley of Massachusetts had many French settlers in the Nova Scotia region moved from that region to avoid any confrontation if these settlers sided with their home country. These people were exiled from their home and moved into British colonies in a very cruel and violent fashion. This is one of the first examples of Britain’s oppressive nature towards people they consider a threat to what they feel is the best solution. The British military effort, at this time, was not as impassioned or successful. Both George Washington and General Braddock suffered major defeats at the hands of the French and their allies, General Braddock was even killed in one of the early battles before this war was officially started. It was not until later in the war that the British were able to successfully defeat the French. The war officially began in 1756 and ended in 1763 but this war is far less important than the major event it caused. More than anything this war was the first step to the American Revolution.
After the Seven Years Way England was broke for she had spent more money needed to win the war. Also winning the war gave the colonist a “we can do it spirit”. However because England now was facing debt she decided to tax the colonies. One the first acts passed was the sugar act passed in 1764. This Act was the raise revenue in American colonies. What it did was lowered the tax from six penses to three penses per gallon on foreign molasses. Molasses is a product made by refining sugarcane, grapes or sugar beets into sugar. This upset the colonist because before the sugar act they didn’t have to pay the tax so even if it was lowered that meant nothing for they now had to pay for it. A year later, in 1765, the Britain’s passed another act known as the Stamp Act. The Stamp Act put a tax on stamped paper, publications, playing cards, etc. Because it was on all paper products in a way it affected everyone; from the papers for the upper class such as lawyers, publications such as newspapers for the middle class, and playing cards for the lower class for entertainment. Next, the Townshend Act passed by Charles Townshend. This came in 1767, which imposed taxes on colonial tea, lead, paint, paper, and glass which just like the Stamp Act affected all of the classes in the colonist in the Americas. Though this act was removed three years later in 1770, it still left colonists with a warning that conditions may become worse. Around 1773, parliament passed the Intolerable Acts one of those acts which affected taxation was the Bost...
Till then, England 's preoccupation with civic skirmish and current war with France permitted the Colonies to carry on foreign and domestic trade with tiny intrusion from British powers. Furthermore, since their founding, the Colonies had been managing much of their affairs. The Colonists, as a result, established a sense of freedom. When England started imposing limitations on the Colonial trade and carrying other activities that recommended Colonists never had similar rights as British peoples in England, the Colonials began to take stock of their individuality and question Great Britain 's authority over them. When the French and Indian War lastly finished in 1764, no English subject on both sides of the Atlantic could have predicted the coming fight between North American colonies and the parent country. More so, the roots of these battles were started, and therefore, this war. One should keep in mind that the French and Indian War, which was known in the Europe as the ‘Seven Years ' War, ' was a worldwide