Effects of French and Indian War on American-British Relations

The effects of the French and Indian war helped to plant the seeds for revolution and rebellion against England. Before the war Americans saw Britain as a great force that would protect and nurture their colonies. However, over time their perspectives of Britain began to change, especially after the French-Indian war. After 1713, England neglected Americans and made no efforts to improve the emerging nation. During this period, the first seeds of revolution was planted. Soon afterwards, the War of Jenkins's Ear ensued, which became King George's War. Americans gathered themselves to fight against the French and Spanish and invaded New France/Canada. They won, but in 1748 a peace treaty was signed, giving Louisbourg back to the French enemy. This angered the New Englanders, especially since Louisbourg presented itself as a danger to the American continent. The colonist lost more of their respect for British military power when Braddock's army of two thousand men was beaten shamefully by a small French and Indian army. This repelled the idea of British invincibility. Tensions increased between New Englanders and Old World subjects when Franklin's idea of colonial home rule was introduced. It was passed, but the two sides had differing viewpoints. The British saw the plan as giving too much freedom to the colonists, but the Americans did not seem to think it was enough. Also while the British thought that the Americans did not contribute enough, Americans scorned the English for not being grateful. General Wolfe even commented on Americans as being "the dirtiest, most contemptible, cowardly dogs that you can concieve," while Americans thought themselves superior to their Old World counterparts for establishing a new empire (115).
Worsening the American-British relations was the fact that the Americans' trade with enemy islands countered the British's attempts at weakening them. Americans also displayed signs of selfishness when they refused to provide support and revenue for the wars. Instead, they argued for the same rights as the English without having to do anything the English have to do, such as defending themselve against the enemies. In general, the relations between Americans and the British declined especially after the French-Indian war, uniting the Americans against their motherland country.