British Colonial Policy from 1763-1776

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From the time period of 1763-1776 British colonial policy had many drastic changes in which resulted with more resisitance to their rule as well as revolutionary thoughts from the colonists, these acts and demands are why Britain eventually lost control and how the U.S. is where it became to be today. With the French and Indian War came the loss of colonial need for British protection, but with it also came a new set of policies that eventually drove the colonies towards their separation. These policies emerged soon after the war, and carried on until 1776 with the Declaration of Independence. Starting from 1763 the British started a set of sensible policies aimed at alleviating the debt incurred during the French and Indian War, and later added necessary imperialistic policies of control designed to exert their sovereignty over the rebellious American colonies. The British victory in the French and Indian War brought forth a new territory: American land west of the Appalachian Mountains. The colonists, upon seeing the vast lands, greedily jumped at the chance of Britain’s vulnerability and started heading west to settle in the area. To avoid any potential conflicts between the colonists and the Native Americans, Britain issued the Proclamation Act of 1763 to end all settlements past the mountains, enforcing it by stationing troops along the frontier to ensure that the two rival groups were separated. This showed Britain’s concern and sacrifice for the sake of peace—valuable soldiers were sent to tend to a border instead of preparing for armed battle. Britain was considerably fair in terms of responsibility and judgment. This is evident by the war debt of -130 000 000, for Britain was in extreme deficit but managed to stay together and still govern the colonies. However, that was not enough—Britain needed some sort of income, some money coming into the country. And
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