American Revolutions VCE

French and Indian War

  • Fought between the British and the French over the land in the Ohio River Valley

    • both sides had Native Americans fighting for them

  • This caused a larger conflict in Europe called the 7 years war

  • Between 1754-1763 in the colonies

  • George Washington started the war at Jumonville Glen in May 1754

  • George Washington gained much of his military experience from the French and Indian war which aided his career in the Revolution

  • Benjamin Franklin assembled a group in Albany NY in the early stages of the war (1754)

    • This was to create a unifed front amongst the states against the French

    • Called the Albany Plan of Union, rejected by all seven colonies

Outcomes of the French and Indian War

  • French presence in North America was gone, handed all their land to Great Britian

  • Britian left a standing army of 10,000 soldiers in the colonies in case of hostility

  • Britian was left broke by the war, £133M

    • This led to Britians taxation of the colonies after their period of Salutary neglect

  • In 1763 the proclamation Act forbids west-ward expansion into the Ohio River Valley

British Management of the colonies

Mercantilism

  • economic system where the colonies existed only to enrich the ‘mother country’ with the supply of raw materials and the purchase of manufactured goods

  • More trade, resources and gold reserves an Empire possessed the more powerful it was

  • For mercantalism to function the British had to restrict the manufacturing capabilities of the colonies, leading to a stunted economy dominant on agriculture

  • Prevented or restreucted the trade of products from other colonial powers (molasses act)

Salutary Neglect

  • The unofficial British policy towards the colonies where the rules or laws of Great Britain were loosely or not enforced

  • led to the colonial growth and prosperity

  • Continued this as long as the colonies remained loyal and benefited the British economy

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British Management of the Colonies

  • Mercantilism: Economic system where colonies existed to enrich the mother country by providing raw materials and purchasing manufactured goods. The more trade and resources an empire possesses, the more powerful it is.

    • Required the British to restrict the manufacturing capabilities of the colonies, leading to a stunted economy reliant on agriculture.

    • Prevented or restricted trade of products from other colonial powers (e.g., Molasses Act).

  • Salutary Neglect: Unofficial policy where British laws were loosely enforced, allowing for colonial growth and prosperity as long as colonies remained loyal and benefited the British economy.