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Tension in the New World The French and Indian War undoubtedly created new tension in the colonies. After the conflict had finished, the colonist’s independent attitudes surfaced. Many had grown tired of British insults and being looked down on by the mother country. After the war, Britain’s debt was immense. The mother countrys solution was to impose taxes upon the colonists to erase the debt, seeing as the war was most beneficial to them. This new responsibility was not welcomed by the colonists who, with their new sense of unity, found a common resentment towards England.
Along with the resentment, colonists saw no reason for British occupation to continue because the French threat was no longer present. This was the spark the ignited the fight for independence. Britain’s highly elitist attitude increased tensions with the colonists. Their “better than you” attitude was exhibited during the war when no respect was given to colonial volunteers. English soldiers did not recognize the colonial soldiers as fellow countrymen and often times treated them badly with rude insults. Muntone) The eason for this resentment was the British felt the colonies did not do their part in winning the war. Colonists were stereotyped as men who desert their army and disobey leaders. Those who honorably fought for the mother country were angered when the English soldiers were spitting insults at them. The colonists united during this war, a unit that would stick together after the war when the British became their main antagonist. (Welling) The French in North America were viewed by the colonists as the obstacle blocking western expansion.
After the war, the colonies were infuriated when the British created their own blockade of western expansion. This only increased the resentment of the English in the colonies. Many felt that with the French threat erased, there was no longer a need for British occupation. (“Results of the French and Indian War”) Colonists were growing annoyed with the British controlling the colonies, while the British were attempting to reorganize the colonies and create a central government in England. This view of the British being an obstacle in the way f the colonies strengthened the unity of the people.
The cost of the war was too great for England to manage, and seeing that the colonists benefitted greatly from the victory, decided to place the weight of the debt on the shoulders of the colonies. With ridiculous tax acts such as the Sugar Act and Stamp Act, Great Britain planned to force the colonies to pay for their part in the war. (Ember) Colonists were angered at the raising taxes and not being able to do anything to stop it. Britain raised taxes, which also paid for English soldiers to occupy homes where colonists were forced to ouse and feed them.
The lack of representation in English government created immense tensions between the mother land and the colonies. There were many contributing factors to the resentment of the British in colonial America. Colonists no longer felt a need for British occupation or protection and yearned for independence. Britain’s forced control created unity in the colonists against the taxation and against the unfair treatment. English soldiers went as far as to insult the colonists and put them down because of this tension.
The tension created after the French and Indian war would later turn into a revolution. Works Cited Ember, Steve. “American Colonists resist British Authority. ” VOA Learning English. VOA News, 20 Jun 2013. Web. 13 Oct 2013.. Muntone, Stephanie. “Effects of the French and Indian War. ” Education. com. McGraw-Hill Companies, n. d. Web. 13 Oct 2013.. “Results of the French and Indian War. ” United States History. Online Highways LLC, n. d. Web. 13 Oct 2013.. Welling, George. “Effects of the War. ” American History. Humanities Computing, n. d. Web. 13 Oct 2013..