In “The Scratch of a Pen: 1763 and the Transformation of North America,” written by Colin G. Colloway indicates that the Treaty of Paris of 1763 was the cause of American Revolutionary War. In this document, American territory changed hands in any treaty ever before. Settlers and Frontiers as long with Indians and Europeans all endured to adapt to new situations, boundaries, government and restrictions. It focuses on the sociological involvement of the war, and how it affected the different populations, both directly and indirectly. Also the document presents the triumphs and tragedies of the epic struggle on a continent placing them in a larger context in France and Great Britain global conflict.
With the French defeat in the French and Indian War (1754–63), Indians west of the Appalachians found their survival threatened because they could no longer play off the French against the English. Aware that the presence of only one European power in their vicinity meant that the old trade system had broken down, in 1763 the Ottawa Chief Pontiac rallied many groups formerly allied with the French in an effort to oust the English from the Ohio Valley. Pontiac's Rebellion (1763–66), although relatively successful in cementing a pan‐Indian alliance, ultimately failed. The English government tried to achieve peace in 1763 by a royal proclamation separating Indians and English settlers at the crest of the Appalachian Mountains. While the proclamation's promise that all land west of he Appalachians would be reserved for the Indians weakened Pontiac's alliance, it did nothing to lessen Euro‐American pressures on Indian land, as American traders, squatters, and speculators flowed unchecked into the Ohio
This law kept money in the empire but hurt the pockets of the wealthy colonists mercantilist that depended on the shipping trade. Then when the French Indian War ended the King made them keep the treaties that had been made with the Indians and refused the rich merchants the right to expand and claim more land. The war had also left England in debt as most wars do, so England called on the colonist to pay taxes to help with their own defense. They did not single the American colonist out they asked this of all of their subjects in all the colonies under English rule. So in 1767 England passed the Townshend Acts which included the Revenue Act of 1767, the Indemnity Act, the Commissioners of Customs Act, the Vice Admiralty Court Act, and the New York Restraining Act.
Depending on how one looks at it, it may be stated that a series of miscommunications ultimately caused the American Revolution. In general, when Parliament passed an act, tax, or law, it was to fix a problem they felt was detrimental to the colonies. The colonists, however, perceiving these policies as a deliberate attempt to repress colonial growth and gain wealth at the expense of the colonies, often misinterpreted them. These misunderstandings, such as the Proclamation of 1763, further alienated the colonists from their mother country, and along with obstinate resistance from Britain towards addressing colonial concerns, led to the consequent revolution. Although the colonists sustained a connection to Britain for more than a decade after the British victory in the French and Indian War, the strategies Parliament implemented to strengthen their hold on the colonies and pay off war debts, as well as their provincial views towards the colonists, primed the American colonies for independence as relations between Britain and its colonies began to sour.
Seven Years War – - The final stage of a century long battle fought between the British and the French. The British ended up winning the war and as a result France’s political power in North America was, for the most part, over. It meant the end of New France. Acadia - a colony in the eastern part of Canada that included Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick. Jesuit - - a group of French Catholic missionaries that came to North America and wanted to convert the Aboriginals to their religion.
By `1754 France and England were fighting for territory, and the Indians became pawns in the effort. The French and English tried to persuade the Indians to fight for them, and in the end the Indians decided to fight on the side of the French, believing that the French were not out to colonize, therefore making them more of an ally. In `1760, after six years of war, the French withdrew, but the English remained. Pontiac, an Indian, continued to fight for the prosperity and independence of the tribes. He rallied tribes to his cause and became very powerful, calling his forces “Pontiac’s Confederacy”.
The Scratch of a Pen The year of 1763 marked an important year in the transformation of North America. This year marked many struggles in America between the Indians, British, Spanish, French, and the colonist. The events of 1763 not only redrew the political map of North America, but the also changed its human geography. Diseases and wars over power and land were the main causes for death and confrontations throughout this book since everybody wanted to gain control these vast lands. During this period of time Benjamin Franklin described, “everything seems in this country, once the land of peace and order, to be running fast into anarchy and confusion.” In the book this is clearly apparent with the power balances between colonist, natives and the present British army.
This first skirmish between these two sides happened in 1755, when a young officer by the name of George Washington and his militia tried to take down one of the French’s main forts, Duquesne. However they failed as the French proved to be a much greater force than expected, and Washington was forced to surrender and retreat. The French had the Indians on their side which was a big advantage to them, and more Indians who had been kicked out by the British colonists also saw this as an opportunity to settle some old scores. This resulted in a second loss for the British as they once again tried to take Fort Duquesne. This time though, they lost 70 percent of their men, and their general, Edward Braddock.
The French won a major battle at Fort Oswego in 1756. They also won another battle two years later at Fort Carrillon. Than another two years later, the French lost at Quebec, Montreal. They were greatly outnumbered and, with that, they had to surrender to the British. The events during the war aren’t the only things that were important, for the setting and other facts were important as well.
Reason for War The year of the French and Indian war is at an end. The year is 1773. The French and Indian’s native to the Americas have lost the war against the British. The British Victory is received well by the colonists who perceived this would bring peace. The heavy weighing cost of the war being charged to the 13 colonies brought a feeling of enmity toward Great Britain.