French and Indian War, which is also known as the Seven Years’ War, was the last in the colonial confrontation between England and France. The Seven Years’ War also covers the European theater of military operations, where the English success significantly influenced the victory in the entire war. Despite England’s triumph, the outcome of hostilities influenced future events, which contributed to the colonists’ aspirations for independence and the beginning of the American Revolution.
The conflict developed due to the claims of the parties on the territory in the Ohio River Valley. Representatives of the native population also supported the French, that is why the name is the French and Indian War. According to the Paris Agreements, which marked the end of hostilities, France abandoned the territories of New France covering parts of Canada and North America. As a result, “This gave the British a larger empire than they could control, which contributed to tensions that would lead to revolution” (Arendt et al., 2019, p.68). In Britain’s expanded possessions, there was a rather diverse society, which divided the metropolis and colonies. Moreover, the end of the war eliminated France’s threat, and there was no longer a strong need for protection. However, the revolution’s main reason was that the funds spent on the war forced the metropolis to raise taxes, lowering its reputation.
Thus, the desire for greater land conquests than the British could manage to govern played against them. Devastated by hostilities and full of debts, they were forced to raise taxes in their colonies significantly. Moreover, French territories’ adoption meant tolerance to their Catholic religion, and the British assessed it negatively since the confrontation with France had been faithful to Protestantism. Tension on the territories increased significantly, creating favorable conditions for the beginning of the American Revolution.
Reference
Arendt, E., Bennett, E, Blanton, J., Burns, A., Draper, M., Goodall, J., Green, J., Isom, H., Lasdow, K., Madar, A., Palmieri, B., Smoak, K., Sparshott, C., Wright, B., & Wright, G. (2019). Colonial Society. In D. Boster, C. Hurford, and J. Nardone (Eds.), The American Yawp. Vol. 1, A derivative of The American Yawp (pp. 55-72). Stanford University Press.