Jessie Palmer; January 2013 Show
The reason why Parliament started taxing the colonists was because of the war debt resulting from the French and Indian War. The first tax, the tax on sugar, was imposed on the colonists to help pay off the debt. Consequently, without that debt, the colonists wouldn’t have had their main argument of “taxation without representation.” Without that argument, the thought of breaking away from England most likely would not have started spreading through the colonies the way that it had during that time. Then, after the colonists got rid of the Sugar Act through protests and boycotts, it began a long fight between Parliament and the colonies that, ultimately, resulted in the American Revolution. The French and Indian War weakened Britain so that the colonists’ actions, such as boycotting, were more effective to the colonial cause. Since there was debt because of the war, the economy was already suffering in Britain – ergo the taxes imposed on the colonies. When the colonies started boycotting British products and threatened to stop trade with them all together, it was effective because Britain’s economy wasn’t strong enough to handle those things. The merchants in Britain couldn’t afford to have trade with America, their primary source of exporting goods, end. If the British merchants were hurt, this would thus hurt the economy as a whole in Britain. In later decades, in the War of 1812, America would try to stop trade with Britain again using an embargo, which would not be effective because they did not have the debt that the French and Indian War had caused. Therefore, the reason that the actions of the colonists worked productively is because of the strain that the French and Indian War had put on Britain’s economy. Because the French had lost the French and Indian War against Britain, the news of the American Revolution spiked their interest when they saw a chance to help in weakening the British Empire. It is evident that France’s money and, maybe more importantly, their Navy was key to the colonies gaining their independence. France’s Navy helped the colonists corner General Cornwallis at Yorktown which was the final significant colonial victory in the Revolution. Before that, France was helping the colonists by helping them get gun powder and ammunition. Though it is possible that France may have helped the colonists gain their independence anyways, the French and Indian War helped fuel the fire and it was recent enough that it was still on France’s mind. So, the French and Indian War helped the colonists gain their most beneficial ally, France, which helped lead to the colonies become independent from Great Britain. One very essential element pertaining to the American Revolution was the French and Indian War. Britain’s economy was suffering because of the debt caused by the war, which led to the taxation that angered the colonists in the beginning. Also, the status of the economy after the French and Indian War is what provided the perfect conditions so that when the colonists implemented boycotts on Britain to try to stop the taxation, they were more effective than they would have been otherwise. The French and Indian War was also essential because it helped provided the colonists with their greatest ally, France. Therefore, without the French and Indian war the idea of independence would not have spread as promptly as it did, the colonists’ actions would not have been as effective, and there is a good chance the colonies could have, ultimately, lost the American Revolution.
How did the French and Indian war contributed to the American Revolution?The war provided Great Britain enormous territorial gains in North America, but disputes over subsequent frontier policy and paying the war's expenses led to colonial discontent, and ultimately to the American Revolution.
How did the French and Indian war contribute to the American Revolution quizlet?How did the French and Indian War influence the outbreak of the American Revolution? The French and Indian War contributed to the outbreak of the American Revolution because Great Britain raised taxes on the colonies, which led to widespread protests and boycotts of British goods.
What were the 3 main causes of the American Revolution?The Taxation Acts, the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Intolerable Acts were the four main causes that lead to the American Revolution.
How did the French contribute to the American Revolution?Between 1778 and 1782 the French provided supplies, arms and ammunition, uniforms, and, most importantly, troops and naval support to the beleaguered Continental Army. The French navy transported reinforcements, fought off a British fleet, and protected Washington's forces in Virginia.
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