The Colonial Background of the American Revolution.

European Rivalry

The colonies identified themselves and faught for the interests of their mother countries. They were used as pawns of the European chessboard. Since the main adversaries of the British were the French and Spanish, the British colonies found themselves in the middle of the Anglo-French wars.

• War of the League of Augsburg (1688-1697) (In the colonies: King William's War, 1689-1697): French Canadians and Mississipi river canadians fought against Britisg New England. The war ended in a draw in Europe.

• War of Spanish Succession (1701-1713)(In the colonies: Queen Anne's War 1702-1713): Louis XIV started this war, trying to set his grandson on the Spanish Throne. The British opposed this. English vs. the French and Spanish. Resulted in the British acquisition of Hudson Bay, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland.

• War of Austrian Succession (1740-1748)(In the colonies: King George's War, 1744-1748): The British sided with Austria against the French and Prussian forces. Fought for the balance of power. British captured Fort Louisburg. A draw in Europe. British returned the fort in return for the liberation of the Netherlands. This upset the colonials: they had shed blood and life for that acquisition, and they did not like watching it slip out of their hands so easily. Murmurs of discontent began as they started to feel like pawns and to recognize the colonial conflict of interests with Europe. Seperatist sentiments start to develop.

• 4. The Seven Year's War (1756-1763)(In the colonies: French and Indian War, 1754-1763): This is the first conflict to originate in and be fought for American Colonial interests. The Ohio Vallee Militia moved to defend Virginian interests. George Washington led the Virginians against the French colonials. The war later spread to Europe. The war was a sweeping victory for the British. The treaty of Paris, in 1763. The French lost all their colonies except a few islands. Spanish received Louisiana for helping the French in the war. The British received everything east of the Mississipi.

Significance of the French and Indian War (1754-1763). Resolved in the first treaty of Paris in 1763.

• No further French threat to the American Colonies. The French presence was removed from the America's. British colonials no longer felt the threat of the French or the need for British protection. They did, however, feel the threat for various Native American Nations. These were the old French Allies.
• Assertion of British Authority. The British sought to tighten controls in the Americas. The colonials didn't like this, and it prevoked strong resistence
• British Financial Crisis. The costs of the war were enormous. Now in debt even more than before the war (doubled the national debt). Since the war was fought to defend the colonists interests, British felt justified in taxing the colonmists to pay off the debt. This was the beginning of the "taxation with no representation" problem. The sugar act, stamp act, tea act. Taking away the rights of the local governments. In the Townsend Act of 1770, import duties were imposed to pay debts. All but the tea act was eventually withdrawn. The Tea Act allowed the East India Company to monopolize the tea trade in the Americas. Prompted the Boston Tea Party of 1774. It was viewed as an intollerable act of violence and destruction of the government property. The British responded by passing many intollerable acts. This led to uprisings.
• Seperatist Sentiment in the Colonies. Arose over new control measures and financial attachments. British also attempted to limit territorial expansion. In order to protect security of the colonies, the British established a border with Pontiac of the Ottawa along the Apalachian Mountains. Natives would not cross the line and British sent 10,000 soldiers to protect the boundary and limit westward expansion. The colonists expansion was curbed by this action. They were enraged. They had to pay money to finance this military expedition. They saw to threat and they wanted expansion and new lands. The colonists began referring to themselves not as British, but as Virginians and such. The need to separate from European problems became a common subject and idea. They were very self-interested. The tobacco farmers especially needed new land, since their business used up land quickly. Saw European contentions as an economic interruption. Stopped interaction with multiple European markets. This war brought British and colonists together and made them realize how different they were from one-another in tastes and attitudes.
• French desire for revenge. Humiliated, the French had lost their status as the greatest power of Europe and a vast Empire in North America. They wanted a chance to humiliate Britain. They saw the seperatist movement as their chance to do this. Began an immediate program to foment dissent in the British colonials. Charles Gravier comte de Vergennes, the French Foreign Minister, was the author of the counter-Anglo policies in North America. This would motivate the French to help out the "patriots" of the 13 colonies.

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