Did the French and Indian War Lead to the American Revolutionary War?
Chloe Ramsperger
841 Sinclair Ct, Redlands, CA 92374
(909)-844-2493
[email protected]
Redlands High School
840 E Citrus Ave, Redlands, CA 92374
(909)-307-5500
Junior
Did the French and Indian War Lead to the American Revolutionary War?
The French and Indian war is believed to have sparked the American
Revolutionary War. The French and Indian War was a nine-year war between the British
and French on North American soil. The war was brought by the France’s expansion into
the Ohio River valley, which conflicted with repeated claims by the British colonies and
it also lead to the series of battles. The French and Indian War was the leading cause that
sparked the American Revolutionary War because it gradually changed the attitudes of
the colonist towards England.
Shortly after the French and Indian War, the colonist were ready to expand
westward, but could not due to Pontiac’s uprising and the Proclamation of 1763. After
Pontiac’s uprising the London government issued the Proclamation of 1763, which
prohibited the settlement in the area beyond the Appalachian Mountains. “ The truth us
that this hastily drawn document was not designed to oppress the colonist at all, but to
work out the Indian problem fairly and prevent another bloody eruption like Pontiac’s
uprising. But the countless Americans, especially land speculators, were dismayed and
angered. Was not the land beyond the mountains their birthright? Had they not, in
addition, purchased it with their blood in the recent war? In complete defiance of the
proclamation, they clogged the westward trails” (Kennedy). Also the desire for farmland
caused many colonists to show defiance towards England. “A desire for good farmland
caused many colonists to defy the proclamation; others merely resented the royal
restrictions on trade and migration” (History.com). The Proclamation of 1763 was not the
only consequence of the French and Indian War that lead to the American Revolution.
War can be very costly depending on the extent of it. After the French and Indian
War the British need to pay off their war debts, so they taxed the colonist. “Attempts
through the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Townshend Acts to raise money rather
than control trade met with growing resistance in the colonies. Tensions increased further
after Parliament passed the Coercive Acts and the First Continental Congress took the
first steps toward independence from Britain” (Digital History). The taxation of the
colonist and excessive amount of acts caused much frustration and anger throughout the
British colonies causing more defiance towards England because they felt they had no
representation in the British Parliament. “True, those in England paid more in taxes, but
Americans paid much more in sweat. All the land that was cleared, the Indians who were
fought, and the relatives who died building a colony that enhanced the British Empire
made further taxation seem insulting. In addition to emotional appeals, the colonists
began to make a political argument, as well. The tradition of receiving permission for
levying taxes dated back hundreds of years in British history. But the colonists had no
representation in the British Parliament. To tax them without offering representation was
to deny their traditional rights as English subjects. This could not stand” (The Stamp Act
Controversy). The taxes and acts passed by the British after the French and Indian war
were not the only effect leading to the Revolution.
After facing war the colonists had different political views, social relations, and
government views than the British. The colonist felt like they were not being represented
correctly among the British Parliament, and as the years went by they developed different
political relations with the mother country. “In addition to vastly increasing Britain's land
in North America, the Seven Years' War changed economic, political, and social relations
between Britain and its colonies. It plunged Britain into debt, nearly doubling the national
debt. The Crown, seeking sources of revenue to pay off the debt, chose to impose new
taxes on its colonies. These taxes were met with increasingly stiff resistance, until troops
were called in to ensure that representatives of the Crown could safely perform their
duties of collecting taxes. Over the years, dissatisfaction over the high taxes would
steadily rise among the colonists until eventually culminating in the American
Revolutionary War” (Boundless). The different views of the colonist and the British are
also shown after the French and Indian War, when the colonists did not see Britain as the
invincible. “They had borne the brunt of battle at first; they had fought bravely alongside
the crack British regulars; and they had gained valuable experience, officers and men
alike. In the closing days of the conflict, some twenty thousand American recruits were
under arms. The French and Indian War, while bolstering colonial self-esteem,
simultaneously shattered the myth of British invincibility” (Kennedy).
The leading cause of the American Revolutionary War was the French and Indian
War because it gradually changed the attitudes of the colonists, towards England. The
French and Indian War had many consequences that lead to the Revolution like the
Proclamation of 1763, the national debt that was accumulated, and the political,
governmental, and economic differences between the colonies and England. The
Proclamation of 1763 prohibited the westward movement of the colonist, the national
debt caused taxation against the colonies, and the different views changed the colonies
self-esteem. Even though there could be numerous events that lead the Revolutionary
War, the French and Indian War had the most impact.
Work Cited
"Digital History." Digital History. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2016.
History.com Staff. "Proclamation of 1763." History.com. A&E Television
Networks,2009. Web. 02 Dec. 2016.
Kennedy, David M., and Lizabeth Cohen. The American Pageant: A History of the
American People. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2016. Print.
"The Stamp Act Controversy." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web.
02 Dec. 2016.
"The War and Its Consequences - Boundless Open Textbook." Boundless. N.p., n.d. Web.
02 Dec. 2016.
Biography
Academics and achievements
At Redlands High School I have been apart of honor roll since freshman year and I have
also received scholar athlete since freshman year.
School Activities
I am apart of the Redlands volleyball program and the track team. I also joined Link
Crew this year.
Community Activities
Outside of school I attend Church in Lake Arrowhead.
Plans for College
After high school I plan to go to a four year college most likely out of state and I plan to
major in criminology or law.