One of the most significant events in the history of the British Empire, the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years’ War, was of tremendous importance to Great Britain since it finally gained control over the colonies in North America, which initially belonged to France. Thus, the French and Indian War meant that the colonies in North America were finally under the full jurisdiction of Britain. More importantly, the war resulted in France also losing its influence in India, and Britain taking its place, thus, acquiring the Indian colonies that once belonged to France. More importantly, Britain finally took power over the key sea channels as well, therefore, improving its trading process considerably. Weirdly enough, the war that was initially called the French and Indian War never took place in France (Jillson 29).
The British Parliament had its unique means of controlling the colonies. The Parliament passed a range of regulations, among which the Sugar Act, the Declaratory Act, the Stamp Act, and the regulations known as Townshend Acts should be named (Jillson 29). While the three acts mentioned above can be considered comparatively efficient, with the introduction of the Townshend Acts, unrest and revolts emerged. To top it all, the newly adopted laws triggered the infamous Boston Tea Party (Jillson 29).
As the Peace Conference followed the War, Britain was offered to choose between West Indies and French Canada. Picking the latter, Britain opened the Mississippi Valley to westward expansion, therefore, reinforcing the economy of the colonies and contributing to the latter developing the desire to become independent. Under the pressure of taxation from Britain, the Revolution erupted, creating the premises for the colonial society to develop into a strong and independent state (Tucker 372).
Works Cited
Jillson, Carl. American Government: Political Development and Institutional Change. New York, NY: Routledge. 2013. Print.
Tucker, Spencer C.. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. 2013. Print.