The American Revolution
In April 1775, a historical war was started by the colonists against the British in America. The
economic warfare between Great Britain and the colonists began well before the colonies declared their
independence in 1776. Many of the the decisions made by the British and the colonists caused the
conflict to be more economically rooted, rather than political and social.
Many of these economic differences started with the French & Indian War. This is also known
as the Seven Years War. This began in 1754 and the first major event happened in 1755 when the
British were defeated at Ft. Duquesne. The war ended in 1763 causing many economic problems.
Things like the British claims greatly expanded in America. VictoryÂflushed, Britain emerged from the
Seven Years' War holding one of the biggest empires in the worldÂand also, the biggest debt. Most of
this debt came from spending money on the war. In an effort to justify and service this debt, British
officials moved to redefine their relationship with the North American Colonies.
In 1763 the resentment towards the colonists became clear when Prime Minister George
Grenville ordered the navy to strictly enforce the Navigation laws. He also secured from Parliament the
Sugar Act in 1764. It was the first law passed in terms of raising tax revenues in the colonies for the
crown. Among other provisions, it increased duty on foreign sugar imported from the West Indies. The
colonists, after many bitter protests, had the duties lowered substantially. This shows how the conflict
was rooted economically because the people were very unhappy that there was now a larger tax on
sugar. This would be just a small example of how the British and colonists had economic conflict with
each other. The resentment was still alive thanks...