In his post from today, Willie talks about Taylor\u2019s efforts to develop a \u201cgeneral feeling of tension\u201d in order to clarify and justify the eventual revolution.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to continue exploring this theme while focusing specifically on the tensions between colonial powers and the tensions between the colonists and natives.<\/p>\n
The first major conflict that Taylor describes is the War of Jenkins\u2019s Ear, which later became the War of the Austrian Succession. This war originated from British efforts to undermine their French rivals by weakening Spain\u2014their ally. Considering the Spanish empire a has-been, the English hoped to grow their colonial power through easy captures of Spanish imperial possessions; however, Spanish resistance thwarted these efforts. Soon, France entered on the side of the Spanish as European issues turned the imperial powers\u2019 focus toward the old continent. A prime example of this is Britain\u2019s decision to return Louisboug to the French during the peace talks to gain possessions elsewhere. Here, Taylor points out that such a \u201cEurope-first\u201d policy reflected the fact that the North American colonies were not yet important enough to either the French or the British to warrant a massive investment of capital and manpower.<\/p>\n
Two decades later, in the Seven Years\u2019 War, which is also known as the French-Indian War, imperial actions underline a massive shift in thinking, especially on the part of the British. Whereas, in the War of Austrian Succession, the British abandoned their North American imperial pursuits in favor of European and Indian spoils, in the French-Indian War, the British made North America their top priority. As Taylor points out, the British ended up paying 4 million pounds to conquer Canada, which was \u201cmore than 10 times\u201d of what the \u201cFrench spent to defend it\u201d (432). Naturally, Britain\u2019s large investment in North America meant that they began to pay closer attention to the colonies, especially through taxation and military presence\u2014things that caused tensions to escalate from 1963 onwards.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, as the British colonies became slowly central to world affairs, tensions between Native Americans and colonists continued to escalate. During the Seven Years\u2019 War, Britain pushed France out of colonial America, meaning that the leverage Indians previously enjoyed during negotiations and trade was gone. In essence, natives\u2019 role in determining the balance of power disappeared, leaving them even more vulnerable to exploitation. Through Pontiac\u2019s Rebellion of 1763, Indians tried to reestablish some sort of level ground for negotiation, but succeeded only in enflaming tensions between them and the colonists. These manifested themselves through several bloody clashes, most notably those carried out by the Paxton Boys, who ruthlessly slaughtered and burned a peaceful Indian village.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In his post from today, Willie talks about Taylor\u2019s efforts to develop a \u201cgeneral feeling of tension\u201d in order to clarify and justify the eventual revolution.\u00a0 I\u2019d like to continue exploring this theme while focusing specifically on the tensions between colonial powers and the tensions between the colonists and natives. The first major conflict that … <\/p>\n