The British Empire and American colonists both suffered from the French and Indian War. It is often thought that it was the main cause of much of what led to the American Revolution. British Empire had a huge impact on the British Empire’s victory in the French-India War. It meant that the British Empire was able to expand its territorial claims in New World. However, the war’s cost had significantly increased Britain’s debt. In addition, there was a lot of anger among English leaders about the colonists, who weren’t happy with the financial support and military assistance they received. These factors all combined to convince many English leaders that the colonies required major restructuring and that London should have the central authority. These plans were part the colonial resentment at British imperial strategies that resulted in the American Revolution.
The war had a similar but quite different impact on American colonists. The colonists learned to work together against common enemies. The colonies shared little in common before the war and coexisted in mutual distrust. Now, the colonies realized they could become a formidable force. Britain would be their next foe. But the English government ruled otherwise. They issued a Royal Proclamation to prevent settlement westward of the Allegheny mountain crest. To enforce their meassure, they authorized a permanent army consisting of 10,000 regulars. These troops were paid for with taxes collected from the colonies. The British reacted furiously to this, and the Americans were forced back by France in their westward surge.
The British victory was devastating for the Indians of Ohio Valley, third largest party in the French and Indian War. The victorious English reacted with hostility to the alliance of tribes with the French. The Iroquois Confederacy allied itself with Britain and did only marginally better. The alliance fell apart quickly and the Confederacy started to fall from within. For another fifty years, the Iroquois fought the English for control over the Ohio Valley. But they were never again able to negotiate with their white counterparts in terms of political or military equality.
