REER - The French and Indian War and its Aftermath (Lesson)

The French and Indian War and its Aftermath

The French and Indian War was a pivotal event in the relationship between England and its thirteen colonies in mainland North America. The British had defeated France and taken most of her colonial possessions (including Canada). Britain now stood as the most powerful nation in the world, although one that was deeply in debt. England’s national debt had doubled over the course of the Seven Years’ War and the government decided to tax the colonies since the colonists had only paid taxes within their respective colonies until this point---the colonists had never paid taxes directly to the Crown.

To raise revenue and save money, several measures were taken. To prevent future conflicts with the American Indians (such as Pontiac's Rebellion) in the western lands, the Proclamation of 1763 was issued. The Proclamation Line as defined in King George III’s Proclamation of 1763 forbade colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains which reduced the risk of future conflict between colonists and the indigenous tribes living on the western side of the Appalachian Mountain range.

In response, many colonists protested as they felt it was not fair to prohibit settlement in the key area that they had fought for in the recent war. Some settlers moved west anyway in defiance of the Proclamation. England felt that the colonists should bear some of the costs of the French and Indian War since British blood and treasure were used to protect them. The Parliament on behalf of King George III began to institute a series of taxes and to enforce the Navigation Acts more stringently. The colonists protested since they were unused direct taxes to the Crown and had enjoyed "salutary neglect” since the colonies were settled. They felt that they had contributed to the war effort and that they should not be taxed by the British Parliament since they were not allowed to elect representatives to it.

(Remember that England subscribed to the concept of “virtual representation” which held that the members of Parliament all represented all British subjects around the world regardless of their location—there were no “districts” like we have today, so all members of Parliament were like our present-day at-large Board of Education members for example. They represented all people.)

 

In preparation for participation in the discussion, you will want to review the information in the Key Concepts pages on the French and Indian War as well as the information on it in the Readings Document. View the following presentation on the French and Indian War and its aftermath. You may also want to read the "Road to Revolution" from Digital History. Links to an external site.

 

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