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The French & Indian War had cause a multitude of changes and shifts In America, on political, economical, and ideological levels alike. For a start, the French and Indian War altered the political aspects of the 13 colonies. Prior to the French & Indian War, due to the idea that it was beneficial or healthy for the 13 colonies if they had some sense of freedom, independence and self-governance, this was dubbed Salutary Neglect. The main form of political governance in the colonies was the colonial assemblies.
These assemblies were responsible for governing their respective colonies through city courts. These courts would make decisions that pertained to each of the colonies, like appointing members to the unicameral and bicameral assemblies. Building on this knowledge, after the war ended in 1763, with the Treaty of Paris 1763, one of the main consequences was the end of Salutary Neglect. Most colonial assemblies were shut down as a result of this, giving the colonial Royal governors more power than they previously had.
Another consequence of the Treaty of Paris 1763 was the French losing every last bit of their land in North America (Doc. A). The French originally fought in the French & Indian War for control of the Ohio River Valley, which was an Important area for trade and growth. Progressing away from the political aspects hat were altered by the French & Indian War, the economical aspects were also altered ultimately. Before the beginning of the French & Indian War, Britain didn’t have any major taxes imposed onto the colonies.
That was before the war. After the French & Indian War was fought, and the Treaty of Paris 1763 signed, the Stamp Act was imposed in 1765 by George Ill to help pay for the deficit created by the French & Indian War, as well as King George’s War (1739-1748). This act was passed as a result of Britain needing more revenue, as for the revenue coming from the colonies prior o this act was “not yet sufficient to defray a fourth part of the expense necessary for collecting F).
The Stamp Act, mind you. Wasn’t a tax on stamps, but rather a tax on printed documents, such as newspapers, journals, deeds, letters, et cetera. The Stamp Act required all printed documents to be stamped with a special imprint, which certified the document. Failure to do so would most likely result In a fine, or confiscation of the merchandise, which is why it faced so much opposition from the colonists, even though it only affected a certain few.
Benjamin Franklin wrote a letter, addressed to John Hughes In Pennsylvania, suggesting the repealing of the Stamp Act (Doc. G). If he refused to repeal the Stamp Act, Franklin warned him that it would make him very unpopular among the colonists, and refuted that he should try to reconcile the colonists after the war, Instead of taxing them. Benjamin Franklin truly feared violent opposition to the Stamp Act. This eventually led to the Stamp Act crisis, which resulted in Liberty Trees being planted. At these liberty trees, officials sent to humiliation.
The Virginia Resolves were also passed as a result of the Stamp Acts, which claimed it as unconstitutional, and they could not be taxed without representation in Parliament. This type of violent opposition led to the repealing of the Stamp Act in 1766, and the passing of the Declaratory Act in 1766 which gave Britain the right to make laws for the colonies. This concept is called parliamentary sovereignty, and went against the right of consent of the governed, and the colonist’s natural rights of life, liberty, and property, or alternatively, the pursuit of happiness.
The British also assumed the colonists Virtual Representation. This is the idea that the colonies were represented in Parliament indirectly. Also, before the French & Indian War ended with the Treaty of Paris 1763, which resulted in the Proclamation Line of 1763, which ran from the West of the Appalachian Mountains to England, Native Americans were getting defensive about their land, and warned the colonists to remove themselves from their area, as for they had no right to settle (Doc.
B). The Chief of the Iroquois Confederacy, Concatenates, told the representative bodies in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia that basically, their motives are transparent, and the Native Americans knew the value of their land and instructed the preventatives to promptly remove their men from their land (even though it wasn’t rightfully theirs) because they had no right to settle, and they felt greatly disrespected.
After the war ended with the Treaty of Paris of 1763, the Proclamation Line was drawn to prevent all British colonists from settling West of the Appalachian Mountains to prevent all future tensions with the Native Americans, even though proceeding the war, a large deal of their land was already lost. The war ultimately created economic stress in the colonies, because it resulted in more taxes (Doc. F), ND isolated trade with the Native Americans, as for we usually traded fur pelts with them.
This also could’ve foreshadowed their refusal to Join the colonists in an alliance during the Albany Plan of 1754, as well the problem of westward expansion with Chief Pontiac Rebellion in 1763, which resulted in the senseless murder of thousands of British colonists. Adding on to other economic problems created by the war, the mercantile policies of the Navigation Acts were beginning to become heavily enforced again. England buckled down on the colonies to raise revenue (Doc. F. ). This put a major halt on smuggling of goods to the 13 colonies.
With the passing of the Writs of Assistance, the quartering British soldiers had a right to enter a colonist’s home at anytime and confiscate anything they suspected of being smuggled. Smuggled good were rarely found, but it enraged the colonists that the British had a right to do this on their land. To initiate the final point, are the altered ideological aspects that were altered as a result of the French & Indian War. Preceding the French and Indian War, some of the colonists were sycophant to Britain. During the war, in 1755, George Washington wrote a letter to Robert Erne, wishing to Join the militia.