Economic Changes Post the Seven Years' War

The French and Indian War also known as the Seven Years War was a major conflict between the French, with the support of the Indians, and the colonists who later received aid from Great Britain. The war’s effects range from the ideological relations between the colonies and Britain, which gradually changed from thinking of the British as a helpful source of protection to hatred towards them, to the political and economic changes imposed by Great Britain. The relationship between Americans and British suffered greatly by the war and the changes that occurred after it would eventually mark American history forever.
The economic effects of the French and Indian War were mainly the tightening of the British and colonists’ mercantilist relationship and the Acts imposed by Great Britain towards its American colonies to facilitate the payment of the war debt. By 1763, the Seven Years War had already come to an end, leaving Britain bankrupt because of the great amount of money it had spent protecting its overseas colonies from the French and Indian threat. The British Order in Council stated the establishment of duties that were necessary for the protection and support of the colonies (doc. F). The British thought the colonists would consider the taxes to be insignificant because they were directed to ensure their own safety. However, most of the colonists were either unable to pay the taxes or refuse to pay them because they didn’t have a representation in the Parliament. One of the most tedious taxes was the Stamp Act, which mandated the use of stamped paper certifying the payment of the tax. The obligation to pay the tax led to many employees going out of business, especially newspapers and lawyers that couldn’t afford to pay the tax. “The Pennsylvania Journal and Weekly Advertiser” was one of the first victims, going officially out of business in October of 1765 (doc. H). After enjoying a long period of time under salutary neglect and without any obligation to pay