Colonial society and imperial conflict
By the mid-1700s, the British colonies had grown rich and populous. A war with France then changed their relationship with Britain.
Colonial growth
The colonial population grew from about 250,000 in 1700 to over 2 million by 1770, through high birth rates, immigration, and the forced migration of enslaved Africans. Cities such as Philadelphia, New York, and Boston became busy ports.
Mercantilism and trade
Britain followed mercantilism: colonies existed to supply raw materials and buy British goods. Navigation Acts required many colonial goods to be shipped on British ships and sold through British ports. In practice, enforcement was loose for decades, a policy later called salutary neglect, which let colonists grow used to self-government.
The Great Awakening
In the 1730s-1740s, the Great Awakening, a religious revival led by preachers such as George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards, swept the colonies. It emphasised personal religious experience, challenged established church authority, and created shared experiences across colonies.
The Enlightenment in America
Enlightenment ideas about reason, science, and natural rights spread among educated colonists. Benjamin Franklin embodied the movement through his experiments, writing, and civic projects. John Locke's ideas, that governments exist to protect life, liberty, and property and rest on the consent of the governed, would shape revolutionary arguments.
The French and Indian War
Rivalry with France over the Ohio Valley led to the French and Indian War (1754-1763), part of the global Seven Years' War. A young George Washington fought in early battles. Britain won, gaining Canada and land east of the Mississippi in the 1763 Treaty of Paris, but the war left it deeply in debt.
Consequences of victory
To avoid costly conflicts with Native nations, Britain issued the Proclamation of 1763, forbidding settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains, angering colonists who wanted land. Britain also decided colonists should help pay for their defence, setting up a clash over taxation.
Slavery and resistance
By 1770, about one in five people in the colonies was enslaved. Enslaved people resisted in many ways: slowing work, running away, preserving African culture, and occasionally rebelling, as in the 1739 Stono Rebellion in South Carolina, which led to harsher slave codes.
Worked example
In 1750, a Pennsylvania farmer might sell wheat to Britain's Caribbean colonies, attend revival meetings, and read Franklin's almanac. By 1765, the same farmer might resent the Proclamation Line blocking western land and new British taxes, while feeling increasingly American rather than simply British.
Key takeaways
The colonies grew rapidly through birth, immigration, and the slave trade. Mercantilist Navigation Acts were loosely enforced under salutary neglect. The Great Awakening and the Enlightenment spread new religious and political ideas, including Locke's natural rights. The French and Indian War (1754-1763) gave Britain territory and debt. The Proclamation of 1763 and new taxes set up conflict. Enslaved people resisted, as at Stono in 1739.
Flashcard
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Check your understanding
Why did Britain begin taxing the American colonies after 1763?