Saturday, November 11, 2017

How did the 1763 Treaty of Paris lead to the revolutionary war?

The Treaty of Paris of 1763 formally brought an end to the French and Indian War (as it was known in the North American colonies) or the Seven Years’ Ware (as it became known in Great Britain). The treaty included Great Britain, France, Spain, and their allies. It ended France’s claims to the mainland of North America including much of what is now the midwestern United States. This effectively ended foreign military threats to the British colonies in North America.
This apparent victory for the colonies did not come without a cost, a very high cost. Britain incurred a large amount of debt to defend British interests in the North American colonies and other territories around the world, and they did not have the resources to pay their creditors. Parliament’s solution was to levy taxes on the North American colonists to pay the debt for wartime expenses. This led directly to the famous argument that the colonists would agree to no taxation without representation in Parliament.
Additionally, without the need for a strong military presence to protect the colonies from foreign interests, the priorities of British leaders in London and colonists, particularly those along the western frontier of the British colonies, differed. Colonists were angry about the western boundary set in the Treaty leading to clashes with Native Americans as they continued their westward expansion into native lands. British attempts to manage policy related to Native Americans proved ineffective at best.
With differing foreign policy priorities, a lack of colonial representation in Parliament, and high taxes imposed on the colonies, it was only a matter of time before the Revolution began.


The 1763 Treaty of Paris ended the French and Indian/Seven Years' War between Great Britain and France. Under the terms of the treaty, the French were required to give up all their North American territories, thus removing any foreign threat to the British colonies.
On the face of it, the treaty was a good deal for the American colonists as they no longer had to worry about the threat of a French invasion. However, in due course, the Treaty of Paris led to growing dissension between the colonists and the British government that would one day result in full blown rebellion and war.
Primarily, this was because the interests of the British government and the American colonists now no longer coincided. For one thing, the British didn't want to maintain an expensive military presence in North America now that the French threat had been removed. Instead, they resorted to the expedient of balancing the rights of American colonists and Native-American tribes. In practice, this proved unworkable and caused great resentment among the colonists, who didn't believe that the indigenous people had any rights in the first place. Colonists also objected to the provisions in the treaty that protected religious freedom for Roman Catholics, who were very much a despised minority.

No comments:

Post a Comment

What is the theme of the chapter Lead?

Primo Levi's complex probing of the Holocaust, including his survival of Auschwitz and pre- and post-war life, is organized around indiv...