So, why am I starting my saga on the American Revolution with the French Indian War? It is a motivating factor in the events leading to the war.

Britain found governing the American colonies difficult and expensive. Britain had just fought the French and Indian War, gaining control of Canada and much of the land east of the Mississippi. Britain now needed more money to maintain soldiers in all these areas. In 1764, the British government decided to tax the colonists to pay a share of these costs. They taxed sugar bought from the French or Spanish, and created the Stamp Act requiring all newspapers and legal documents to carry a stamp purchased from the British. These taxes angered the colonists. Although the colonist eventually forced the British to eliminate the Stamp Act and to reduce the taxes on sugar, it was the start of the quest for independence. The Quest for Independence will be tomorrow’s topic.

To learn more about the French Indian War, see the Kidport French Indian War reference materials. Tomorrow we will start with the Quest for Independence.

http://www.kidport.com/RefLib/UsaHistory/FrenchIndian/FrenIndWar.htm

---

| | | | | | | |