North American Colonies Relationship

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In 1763, the relationship between Britain and it’s North American colonies, while not being perfect, displayed little evidence of the revolution soon to take place. While there were some strains on the relationship, in 1763 the political, economic and social ties between the colonies and the motherland, were still undeniably strong. Politically, the relationship between Britain and the colonies in North America in 1763 were actually stronger than they had been in the past. Having come together under William Pitt to defeat the French in North America, not only had they been united against a common enemy, but it meant that Britain began to take a more active role in the political workings of the colonies, bringing to a close the period of salutary…show more content…
However, there was not yet a unity between the colonies. Despite 9 of the colonies coming together at the Albany congress in 1754, no real action to combine forces had so far been taken- and the real unifying force between the colonies in 1763, was Britain. The individual colonies saw themselves as being very different from each other- but one thing they did all have in common was their allegiance to the British monarchy and the pride they felt to be part of the hugely successful British Empire. The Seven Year’s war having just ended, meant that for the colonies, there was prospect of potential expansion, and there was a definite pride of being a part of the winning side, as the colonies were a major contributor to British success in the French…show more content…
Alongside this, the colonies had a great deal of economic strength, and while the colonies weren’t united culturally or politically, they were beginning to be pulled together by their economic ties. The system of British mercantilism imposed on the colonies hugely, limiting what, how much and where they could ship to, due to policies such as the Trade and Navigations acts designed to ensure a British monopoly over the colonial trade market. By 1763 the list of enumerated commodities included almost every colonial export, meaning that all produce had to be shipped to Britain to be reshipped elsewhere. While it was unpopular in the colonies, the system probably benefited them more than anything else, especially over the period of the French wars as the colonies were a huge producer of crude iron, which would have been in high demand for weaponry. Most of the regulations on trade and manufacturing weren’t regularly enforced and and the system of mercantilism meant that there was always a demand for colonial
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