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Since the end of the Seven Years War, Great Britain was increasingly becoming a global power – much to the dismay of France. Having been evenly matched before the Seven Years War in terms of the number of territories, the strength of their military parties, economic stability, and global influence, it was frustrating for France to see their previously equal neighbor as a now more influential power. Where France lost their influence, Great Britain seemed to establish themselves as a new influential power (specifically in North America and India, where France had to secede their control to Great Britain). This frustration resulted in France, not only attempting to prevent Great Britain from gaining more power, but also attempting to weaken – if not altogether remove – Great Britain's influence in the Western world. According to Professor Kenneth Morgan of Brunel University in …show more content…
London, “the long 18th century was the period in which Britain rose to a dominant position among European trading empires” (Morgan). Controlling portions of North America, Africa, India, and Australia (until Australia achieved their own independence in 1788), Great Britain was truly a global empire. The fight for American independence had become how “France intended Britain to be reduced to parity, if not subordination, to France in the balance of power” (Dull 44). Ultimately, France viewed the revolution differently from the colonists; for the French, participating in the revolution was strategical move to weaken Great Britain's overall empire, while, for the colonists, the revolution was to free themselves from the oppression imposed on them from Great Britain (specifically economically). From the end of the Seven Years War up until rising tensions between the Great Britain and the colonists, Great Britain made multiple proclamations in hopes of gaining favor with those living in their abroad territories. For instance, the Quebec Act of 1774, dictated that the people were able to “have, hold, and enjoy, the free Exercise of the Religion of the Church of Rome” and instated “all... Civil Rights” in the hopes that they would feel more protected under British rule as opposed to previous French rule (Quebec Act). While this helped Great Britain gain popularity in their Canadian territories, the American colonists felt the previously French Canadians were being awarded freedom while they were being more closely controlled. Much like how Great Britain stepped in to grow their influence in Canada in place of France, France seized the opportunity by stepping in to grow their influence in the American colonies by aiding the disgruntled colonists. While the French Empire reached from posts in India to islands off the west coast of Africa (Island of Gorée) to South America, France's territories in the Carribean were most influenced by France's involvement in the American Revolution in regards to trading capabilities.
More specifically territories like Cayenne, Guadaloupe, Martinique, Saint Domingue (present day Haiti), and Saint Lucia would have been greatly impacted had France opted out of assisting the colonists. The transatlantic trade brought slaves (manual labor) from Africa to the Caribbean territories, brought raw goods from the Caribbean territories to the American colonies (through illegal back channels), and brought refined goods from the American colonies to Africa (Dubois). Since the Caribbean territories' slave trade market made up two-fifths of all French imports and one-tenth of all French exports, had Great Britain been given the opportunity to cut off all trading capabilities with the American colonies, the French territories – and therefore the French economy – would have suffered catastrophic set backs in income
(Dull). France also relied heavily on their Caribbean colonies for the revenue they received from the production of tobacco, cotton, and sugar. The American colonies were becoming increasingly more important to France's economy in that they were replacing European countries in the triangular trade route. Due to the increasing number of taxes on imported goods including paper products, tea, and molasses, this form of trading was cheaper for both the French and the colonists. With the British government implementing taxes such as the Sugar Act of 1764, colonies looked towards opportunities to buy goods on the black market, thereby evading the “six pence” to “ten shillings” tax being imposed on them from the British monarchy. Great Britain's ever tightening control over colonial trade was sending more “merchants to neutral ports... to exchange their provisions for French molasses” (Smith). Despite an increase in infantry being brought to the colonies in order to reduce the quantity of black market deals, most people caught smuggling were freed from criminal charge. Great Britain's control over the American colonies impacted the transatlantic trade in such a way that it was little more than an inconvenience to trade with the French Caribbean islands; the risk of being caught was worth the cost decrease. This being said, with the growing number of British soldiers being stationed in the colonies to aid in Great Britain's attempt to stop the smuggling, the pressure to free the colonists from these restrictions altogether would have become increasingly evident in everyday commerce had the revolution not began. In the end, the French participation in the American colonists' fight for independence was not a selfless one. While most people were apprehensive about participating in the revolution in the beginning due to having just lost a big war against Great Britain barely more than a decade ago, Vergennes' campaign eventually won the people and the King over. France failed to see the possible consequences of what participation could mean (economic and political instability) and focused on the idea of redemption for a previous war as well as keeping another country from obtaining too much global influence out of spite. France failed to contemplate what would be necessary to help with the revolution, and only thought of the glory of winning a rematch – as if it were a sports match. While France failed to take into consideration what the American colonists would ask of them (both financially and physically), France did benefit from the revolution in that they would be able to eventually trade more freely with the new nation. France participated in the revolution for a public opportunity at redemption rather than to aid the Americans in their fight for independence; this ultimately backfired against France in that it caused decades of national turmoil.
Reviving the crumbling Saint-Domingue economy was a crucial determining factor in France’s involvement with the colony. Toussaint’s ability to create a thriving economy would determine his position as a leader. If he was unable to create a stable economy, then there was someone else that could replace him. This revival was key to slavery not being re-imposed in the colony. Toussaint L’Ouverture had to prove that the Saint Domingue colony could succeed and be profitable within a slaveless economy. As much as he could comprehend the morality of ending slavery, he was also very aware of the importance slavery had to the West Indies in maintaining France’s economy. Although there are some arguments that state that slavery’s importance to their
They formed alliances with Indians through a system of gift giving and compromise and developed Indian slavery that “transformed thousands of Indian men, women an children into commodities of colonial commerce in French settlements.” These two systems were integrally related to one another in the sense that the French learned to accept Indian captives as gifts from their Indian allies. This was a form of trade for them but also allowed the French to have a form of slave labor. These Native American slaves proved to be essential to the colonial economy and served as millers, domestics, farmers, and semi-skilled hands in urban trade and dock loaders. This type of slavery became so essential to the French and its colony that Louis XIV was considering legalizing it in New France even though it was illegal in Louisiana and the French
On the eve of the American Revolution, colonists have signified and ensured their newly discovered identity by coming together to rid the American colonies of the British monarchical influence. Throught means of newly developed legislatures, both passive and aggressive protests, and formation of propaganda were the American colonists able to engrave their identity on the future of America forever.
An oppressed people will eventually rise against the oppressor regardless of loyalties they may have had in the past to their oppressor. Humans can only withstand so much oppression before eventually reaching a breaking point-a fact the British Empire failed to realize when they took oppressive actions on their colonies that would cause conflict and culminate into the American Revolution. After claiming victory in the French-Indian War, the British decided to implement policies and taxes in the colonies the colonists that the colonists considered illegal due to lack of their consent. While initially, the colonists did attempt more peaceful and logical alternatives to resolve their discontent with the British Empire, eventually more oppressive taxes and violent events culminated to a full Revolution. Before the revolution, the British had incurred debt from the French-Indian War and needed to raise money: they turned to the colonies as a source of income.
At first, the French won many decisive battles with the aid of its allies against the British Empire. Both countries, however, were relatively equal in size and power at the time, but that would soon change. The British began to turn the tide as they made significant leadership changes in government and amassed their army, particularly their navy, to counter the Allied forces.3 With the new change of leadership, Britain began to pour more effort and money into this war.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Before the revolution started in Saint Domingue, Saint Domingue was producing 60% of the coffee around the world and produced 40% of the worlds sugar at the same time (Haitian Revolution, www.webster.edu). Comparing all the French colonies, Saint Domingue was the most profitable and the most successful of its possessions. Saint Domingue was the most prosperous and wealthiest island in the Caribbean, but for Plantation Owners. In 1789, mulattoes were about 28,000, followed by white people which where 32,000, and the last group was black slaves, which numbered up to 500,000 (Haitian Revolution, www.webster.edu). The lowest class in saint Domingue was the black slaves, which outnumbered the whites 10 to 1. Saint Domingue had so many slaves that out of the 1 million slaves at this time in the Caribbean, the slave population in saint Domingue mad up half of it. Since this colony was mostly driven by its slave labor, it was one of the richest and the colony that gave more profit of them all in that time. What made this colony one of the richest colonies was their land. Their soil was very fertile and it had and ideal climate, letting it grow a lot of its main productions, like sugar, coffee, cocoa, Indigo, tobacco, cotton and vegetables. When the revolution started to spark in 1789, there we...
Great Britain emerged from the Treaty of Paris triumphant; France had been chased out of most of North America and Britain had won control of the eastern third of the continent. However, while the war was a military success, its effects caused trouble for Britain and its American colonies. The war had altered the political and economic landscape, and the changes opened an ideological divide between the two peoples that caused the Colonists to question their ties to Britain. So while the French and Indian War was a success militarily for Great Britain, it brought about the beginnings of the American Revolution.
From 1754 to 1763, the French and Indian War took place. This war altered the political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies. It was the last of four North American wars waged from 1689 to 1763 between the British and the French. In these struggles, each country fought for control of the continent with the assistance of Native American and colonial allies. The French and Indian War occurred to end the land dispute between the British and French. Whoever won, in reality, gained an empire. It was a determined and eventually successful attempt by the British to get a dominant position in North America, the West Indies, and the subcontinent of India. Although Britain had won all this land, political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies were totally annihilated.
The Enlightenment philosophers helped influence the American Revolution and the formation of the American government by all having their own opinions and beliefs and fought for them. Some examples are John Locke and how he believed we are all born with natural rights or Voltaire and how he fought for our freedom of speech and religion.
Haiti had over a half million enslaved Africans working on sugar plantations owned by the French. The sugar was hugely profitable, but conditions for enslaved worker were horrendous. Many were cruelly over worked and under fed. Haiti also had a population of both free and enslaved mulattoes. Free mulattoes, however, had few right and were badly treated by the French. In 1791, a slave revolt exploded in northern Haiti. Under the able leadership of Toussaint L'Ouverture, Haitians would fight for freedom and pave the way for throwing off French rule.
The American Revolution began for many reasons, some are; long-term social, economic, and political changes in the British colonies, prior to 1750 provided the basis for and started a course to America becoming an independent nation under it's own control with its own government. Not a tyrant king thousands of miles away. A huge factor in the start of the revolution was the French and Indian War during the years of 1754 through 1763; this changed the age-old bond between the colonies and Britain, its mother. To top it off, a decade of conflicts between the British rule and the colonists, starting with the Stamp Act in 1765 that eventually led to the eruption of war in 1775, along with the drafting of The Declaration of Independence in 1776.
The connection between Britain and the English colonies was that of the ruling of the colonies by the king of Britain, King George III and his parliament. The king’s ruling was very unfavorable for the colonists because of his tyrannic dictatorship and unjustly taxations. The mere thought of an island ruling an entire continent thousands of miles away with poor communication and lack of supervision of the colonies by the king, did not work in favor of the colonies nor for Britain. Three contributing factors for the outbreak of the American Revolution were (1) the king’s taxes, (2) neglect of the 13 colonies and (3) England’s mercantilism policy. King George III and his decisions were one of the major causes that had the English colonists fumed with anger towards Britain and this eventually led to the American Revolution.
Haiti, previously known as Saint-Domingue, was a slave island and one of the wealthiest of France’s colonies. Up until this point in time, slavery was still common and, as mentioned above, continued throughout the world even after such freedom declarations such as, the Declaration of Independence in the newly formed United States, and the Declaration of Rights of Man in the Republic of France. The Haitian Revolution was brought on by the want for liberation of slaves, and was largely inspired by the French Revolution and the Declaration of Rights of Man. “Even though the early leaders of the French Revolution had no intention of exporting the upheaval, it spread to the colonies, especially to Saint-Domingue” (Ott 1973). This revolution proved to be a major event as it was the most successful slave revolution in history. The slavery population in Haiti, vastly outnumbered the white colonists in Haiti, and therefore, when the slave population banded together, led to a full-scaled rebellion. Revolts would continue to occur until finally in 1793, the slaves got their freedom, with slavery officially being abolished in all French territories in 1794. From this point until 1802, small rebellions continued to occur as not much changed in the daily lives of slaves, despite technically having their freedom. After the French Revolution and with Napoleon taking power in 1799; Napoleon reinstated slavery in all French colonies, including Haiti. Napoleon also sent an army to Haiti to enforce these new slavery laws and Haiti returned to a slave economy in 1802 (Doyle 1943). The Haitian Revolutionaries finally get their win after defeating the French soldiers in the Battle of Vertieres in 1803; the final part of the revolution. The revolution officially ended in 1804, with Haiti gaining its independence from France and permanently abolishing slavery
The Battle of Britain significantly changed Americans’ opinion and promoted the establishment of Anglo-American alliance, laying the foundation of the allied victory. During the battle, many Americans accepted the view promoted by Joseph Kennedy, the American ambassador in London, who believed that the United Kingdom could not survive. Even though President Roosevelt wanted to give more American support to Britain, the American government finally decided to send few troops to Britain, even less than some small commonwealth countries. To most Americans that time, it was meaningless to help Britain. However, in the Battle of Britain, the RAF continued gaining in strength each week, and the Luftwaffe's morale in combat was definitely broken. After
The relationship between Britain and her Americans colonies slowly deteriorated between the 1750s and the beginning of the American Revolution. When the first British immigrants settled in America, the relationship of the colonies and their mother country was somewhat peaceful. In the following generations, however, their relationship became tenser as Britain imposed policies and taxes on unrepresented American colonists. The British believed they were right in doing so because they had large debts to pay from ongoing wars with France. These taxes caused uprisings among colonists which contributed to British occupation in America, leading to more rebellions. Eventually, the rift in the relationship between the colonists and the British led to the Revolutionary War and the formation of a new country.