Topic > The Origin of Great Britain and the Conflict of the North American Colonies

"Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay During the 18th century, great Britain was victorious in numerous wars around the world which led to its emergence as a world superpower Britain conquered lands like most of the North American colonies through wars such as the French and Indian War, it gained a large amount of debt. . to the exacerbation of pressures in the colonies. Although there were distinct social and political views between Great Britain and its North American colonies, the origin of their conflict was primarily economic economic due to the acts imposed by Great Britain and their view of the role of the colonies. Great Britain adhered to the idea of ​​mercantilism: the wealth of a country was measured by the amount of gold and silver it possessed. Therefore, the colonies existed only to support the mother country economically by providing goods and a market for British exports. After the French and Indian War, Great Britain implemented the policy of mercantilism. In general, the colonies were limited in foreign trade due to mercantilism as all goods were reserved for the English. This is significant because the American colonists soon experienced many shortages and their economy was stifled. Printed paper money rapidly depreciated in value. Furthermore, Britain also imposed economic acts that resulted in conflict. One such act was the Stamp Act, which required that all “official documents” be stamped and subject to tax. This act, according to Document 2, was “extremely onerous and grave” and “the restrictions imposed… render them incapable of purchasing the manufactured goods of Great Britain”. This act is significant to the origin of their conflict because the English were tightening the screws on the colonists inflicting money shortages, meanwhile the English saw no reason why they shouldn't be burdened with debt as well. The fact that the statements in Document 2 was issued by the Stamp Act. The Congress is significant because it was the first meeting of elected representatives from several American colonies to devise a united protest against the new British taxation. The creation of this meeting shows how seriously the colonists regarded taxation without representation. Finally, other atrocious acts imposed by Britain were the Sugar Act and the Townshend Acts which added to the conflict. The Sugar Act was hated because once again the colonists did not see why they should pay the tax. The Townshend Laws were even more despised because they added a tax on tea, something everyone drank. As a result of such acts, the colonists rebelled, considering themselves slaves, “if Great Britain can order us to pay taxes… we are slaves as abject as France and Poland…” (Doc 4). This is significant because these acts, particularly the Townshend Acts, led Britain to place two regiments in the colonies, further fomenting conflict. The fact that the statements in document 4 come from John Dickinson's Letters from an American Farmer is significant because it shows how farmers, being at the center of the social scale, even considered themselves inferior with the acts imposed by the English, so much so that they compared themselves to slaves. Overall, economic disputes played an important role in the conflict between Great Britain and its colonies. In addition to economic disputes, social differences also played a role in the conflict. Over time the colonists had developed different philosophies and ideologies from the"