Essay 1: Britains Relationship with its American Colonies

During the 22-year period from 1754-1776, England and the American colonies had a slowly-declining relationship. This was brought on by many factors of the time period. One of these factors was the numerous wars and conflicts that occurred herein. Also contributing to these ill relations were the many acts and laws that were passed by England around this time. Finally, the First Continental Congress added to BritishAmerican tensions. To conclude, tensions between England and its American colonies in the mid-1700s were majorly due to physical conflicts, British-passed laws, and the First Continental Congress. As stated, the many wars and conflicts that took place from 1754-1776 spurred on British and American tensions. Despite this, not all of them were actually between the colonies and England. For example, in the French and Indian War, Britain and the colonies fought alongside each other. This originally aided their relationship, but the events thereafter that were caused by the war, such as the debt, worsened it. However, a conflict that was between America and England was the Boston Massacre. Herein, a group of rebellious Colonists harassed, clubbed, and hurled ice, snow, and rocks at a group of British soldiers stationed at a Boston harbor. A gunshot was accidentally fired into the crowd, and the other soldiers mistook this for the command to fire, and began firing at the Colonists, but their commander told them to stop. Despite this being mostly, if not wholly, the Colonists fault, the colonists blamed this ordeal on the English and worsened their feelings towards them.

In addition to physical conflicts, the British passed many acts and laws that the colonies despised. An example of one of these was the Stamp Act. This was an indirect tax on the American colonies that raised prices on stamps that were used for all legal documents, packages, mail, playing cards, and various other everyday things in the colonies. The colonists were so appalled by this act that their protests led to it being called off before it was ever officially put into play. Also, the Townshend Acts, which raised price on many colonial goods, were enforced. Finally, the Intolerable Acts were brought forth. The Intolerable Acts were a series of laws passed by Parliament that angered the Colonies the most. Some of the effects of these acts were that Quebec and the Ohio River Valley were relinquished back to the French (the Quebec Act), and that British soldiers in Boston were allowed to take up residence in any colonists house that they chose without the owners consent (the Quartering Act). These various laws can be seen as one of the most major reasons for British-American tensions and eventually rebellion. Finally, the British-American contention of the mid-1700s was forwarded by the First Continental Congress. At this meeting, all of the American colonies (with the exception of Georgia) congregated in Philadelphia for the largest colonial meeting yet at that time. Here, they discussed the British acts and considered ways of getting King George III to repeal the Intolerable Acts (which he ultimately refused). They agreed that if he refused, they would meet up again in May of 1775. While the English did not have

much to do with this directly, it gave the colonies an early sense of union and what would eventually become altogether rebellion. As aforementioned, tensions between England and its American colonies in the mid-1700s were majorly due to physical conflicts, British-passed laws, and the First Continental Congress. The major conflicts were the French and Indian War and the Boston Massacre. The acts and laws that were passed were the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, and the Intolerable Acts. Finally, the First Continental Congress was the Colonial meeting highlighting how the colonies should deal with Parliament.