TB+French+and+Indian+War+Turned+Relations+with+Britain+and+the+Colonies

//French and Indian War Essential Question //   The British colonies in North America in the 1760’s saw a great eruption of hostilities between France and Britain over disputed territory in the Ohio River Valley. This fighting included many native tribes on the French side, and was then named the French and Indian War but was really just a theatre of the much larger Seven Year’s War. //The French and Indian War marked the end of solitary neglect in the British colonies as Parliament imposed more laws restricting economic and personal freedoms and maintained a military presents in the colonies.//   During the war, the British government had to bribe their colonial counterparts to enter the war. However, this was angering to the British Parliament as it was the British colonist who started the conflict. The Parliament also, wanted the colonial militias under control of seasoned officers from England which bothered many of the colonial troops because the English generals had little respect for the “non-regular” troops from the colonies. King George III felt that the embargo he had with the French and Spanish should imply all English citizens. A sentiment that the colonial merchants did not share, so a smuggling network grew, undermining the British war effort. The Crown responded with the Writ’s of Assistance which allowed British troops to search ships and storehouses with no reasonable suspicion or warrant. If a colonial was found to have smuggled goods, he would be taken to an admiralty court which assumed guilt and left the burden of proof on the defense. The colonials felt that their right to privacy was being ignored and detested the British military command.   Shortly after the war ended the British government was left with a huge war debt and the only resort was to raise taxes. However, the citizens in Britain were already severely taxed, as their taxes had been increased from 12% to 16%. This left many British citizens wondering why that the war had been fought for the colonials, and why they were not paying anything directly. In response to this Parliament passed five laws aimed at increasing revenue from their colonies. The first was the Sugar Act was an amendment on the Molasses Act and it stipulates all sugar must come from Britain. However, the British government has to send more troops and customs officials to enact the law which caused more money than it took in. The next was the Currency Act which was supposed to bring all British citizens under a universal currency but faced too much opposition in the colonial legislators to even get it off the ground. Some 10,000 troops stationed throughout the colonies were costing the British government a lot of money so the Parliament passed the Quartering Act in 1765 which forced citizens to house, feed, and clothe the soldiers. This angered most citizens because the soldiers were rude and used what the colonists had worked for as they pleased. Also, this law removed colonial militias from duty which upset many because they felt they that turned the tide of the war. The Stamp Act faced the most resistance from the colonies, sparking riots and outright violence on British officials. It was a very straight forward law that stated all legal documents needed a stamp and any documents without one would be void and not legal in court. The violence from the colonies confused many British citizens as they had been paying a similar tax in England for years. Finally, King George III issued the Proclamation of 1763 which prevented any settlement pass the Appalachians Mountains which was known as the Proclamation Line. Many colonials felt this was a slap in the face because they thought it what they had fought for during the war, but the government felt that it prevent another costly conflict with the natives. The colonists believed that these laws interfered with their given rights as Englishmen, and this united the colonials under the slogan inaccurate taxation without representation because the taxes they paid were limited when compared to England.   The end of solitary neglect was the turning point in already strained relations with the British government. It had the British government take direct control on the colonies by imposing laws and taxes. It also, ordered the establishment of stationing British soldiers throughout the colonies. This direct control destroyed British and colonial relations.