French and Indian War ...

The French and Indian War lessened the seemingly invincible power of Great Britain in the American Colonies hence it gave more confidence to the colonists in their military power.
The French and Indian War was the first one to combine the forces of the British Colonies, in all the previous wars there had been an astonishing lack of unity. “In 1754 the British government summoned an intercolonial congress to Albany, New York, near the Irquois Indian country” (pg. 112). There the Iroquois chiefs loyal to the British were handed thirty wagons of gifts o they would stop the war from spreading. Another reason for the congress was to unify the colonies, so that they could defend themselves against the French. Benjamin Franklin was a leading member of the Albany Congress and “his outstanding contribution was a scheme for colonial home rule” (112). This caused a split between the colonies and the British officials, one thought it gave not enough independence and the other thought it gave too much. Overall it symbolized the problem between colonists and British officials not being able to work together and each having different opinions on many subjects. After England had won the war “England’s colonials emerged with increased confidence in their military strength” (pg. 114), because after they had won the war they knew that by working together they could achieve something. During the War colonists had also seen British militia be scared and flee from their enemy, which proved to them that it was possible to beat them.