Colonial Unity

Colonial unity in the Americas were really weak. Each colony was like a separate nation, with no central government but the parliament leading them. The colonial political unity in America has grown from the French and Indian War to the Second Continental Congress. They have struggled to keep unity between the colonies during these times. Between the end of the French and Indian War and the Second Continental Congress, colonial political unity has changed and grown. Near the end of the French and Indian war, colonial political unity was weak. It was so weak the Indians near the border laughed at their ability to pull together in unity. In 1754, the British Government call for a inter-colonial congress in Albany, New York. The immediate purpose was to keep peace with the Iroquois Tribes. The real reason for the congress was to achieve a greater unity within the colonies and set up a defense against France. The congress called for delegates from all colonies, but only seven of the thirteen colonies chose to attend. Even before the continental congress, Benjamin Franklin realized the disunity between the colonies. He published the most famous cartoon in the colonial area. It showed the separate colonies as parts of a disjointed snake, and had a slogan that said ”Join, Or Die” Nearing the end of the war, colonists did not support the French and Indian War. The

colonies did not provide money or troops for the conflict. Only when William Pitt offered money, the colonies decided to join. If they were to be bribed to defend themselves, how could they unite to defend themselves in the future? At the end of the war, many disunity feeling began to melt. Only because those who fought side by side each other from different colonies, discovered that they all were fellow Americans, who all spoke the same language and ideals. After the French and Indian war, England imposed taxes to help pay the cost of the war.
They passed the Stamp Act, which required stamps on