Relationship Between Britain And The Colonies

The relationship between Britain and its colonies in North America was not one of mutual respect. During the period that followed the French and Indian War, the colonies’ struggle to gain both power and respect from Britain grew, as the colonists pushed for representation in Parliament and as the debt from the war led Britain’s Parliament to raise taxes within the colonies and enact laws that regulated trade. As the various laws regulating trade and taxing the colonies were enacted, the colonists grew more and more resentful of the role Britain was playing in their government. The war against Spain and France cost Britain a lot of money, which led to taxation. Because parliament felt that the colonies had benefitted from the outcome of the war, they felt that it was fair to tax the colonists. The colonists disagreed. This resentment led to various forms of popular protest, and a significant difference in understanding regarding the Britain’s relationship with the colonies and parliaments …show more content…
This forced some settlers to move back east and meant that many colonies would remain under military rule. The Proclamation of 1763 was intended to be a compromise that would protect the British empire, but colonists didn’t appreciate the limited opportunities for settlement. The Quartering Acts were also enacted at this time, which “required colonial assemblies to provide barracks and supplies for the soldiers” (Goldfield, ed., The American Journey: A History of the United States, 122). The Quartering Acts put colonists in a position of inferiority with regards to Britain and British troops, and this position was