Seven_Years'_War

Seven Years' War HIS/115 November 13, 2011 Richard Coop Seven Years' War Many factors led up to the Seven Years’ War and in this paper I will describe the social and political backgrounds existent in eighteenth-century America, explain how the diverse backgrounds and views led to the Seven Years’ War and explain how the outcome of the Seven Years’ War affected me and America. All of this will be explained as you read along in this paper. In the seventeenth-century before I was born, “the colonies were becoming overrun by various, very different immigrant groups” (Davidson, J., 2006). Famine, warfare, and religious persecution forced many non-English groups to flee their homes in Europe to the American colonies. This immigration quickly increased the population and made the colonies greatly diverse in backgrounds. This diversity in backgrounds caused the colonies to be divided along the cultural lines. The colonists divided themselves according to ethnic, regional, racial, and religious differences (Davidson, J., 2006). “Since many of these immigrants had no way to pay for their trip to America, they arrived in the colonies already signed into indentured servitude” (Davidson, J., 2006). The population increase had a significant impact on the lifestyle of colonists in the eighteenth-century. “At this time the birth rate also increased with women typically giving birth to between five and eight children” (Davidson, J., 2006). My family, for example, is quite large. I have my parents, my three brothers, and my two sisters. I was thirteen years old at the time and I was the middle of the girls, the ages of my siblings ranging between 11 and 17 years old. This fast population increase made nearly every part of eighteenth-century American life more hectic. Social relations in this era grew more strained, as many colonials found that this diversity made it impossible to form a shared, common identity. “Eighteenth-century colonial societies were divided along many social lines” (Davidson, J., 2006). An individual’s political and legal rights largely determined their social class; additionally, clothing was a key factor, as well as a person’s religious affiliation and obligations. “The gentry class had access to the most money and financial power, the highest level of education, and wielded the most political influence” (Davidson, J., 2006). The gentry also owned and controlled most large farms and plantations. White collar occupations, like merchants, lawyers, ministers, or doctors, made up the gentry class. The gentry held most of the positions of community leadership. “The middle class, the next highest class, was made up of farmers, small business owners, and other people who served the gentry class in skilled crafts or trades” (Davidson, J., 2006). This inherent inequality, a fundamental aspect of colonial society, made social relations difficult and cased hardship among the colonists. During this period, middle class families benefitted from having more children. More children divided the family’s labor, as every family member had to do their part. Women cooked, cleaned, and sewed while men maintained the fields and farm. Husbands and wives fulfilled different duties while they worked together to maintain their household. In the cities, though, women could work in shops, assist their husband in his trade, and keep accounts for their husband’s business. The man, though, always had sole legal authority, even if his wife or family members contributed a great deal of work to his business or home. Our colonial homes, though they were not as impressive as the gentry homes, were full of love, while our possessions and designs were utilitarian. People in my time struggled to gain an education, as parents had to pay all of their children’s educational expenses. People in the gentry class were usually the most educated because they could afford to pay for school. Many middle class Americans taught their children at home as best as they could. In some places where religion was the dominant influence, people did not particularly value education. Most of what a person needed to know they learned at home. Boys learned to farm, build, and hunt while girls learned how to garden, care for the family, sew and cook. “The spread of Enlightenment ideals was the primary cause of the first Great Awakening and it further intensified conflicts between eighteenth-century colonial citizens” (Davidson, J., 2006). The conflict between superpowers for control of the continent began the Seven Years’ War. Some put the beginning of the Seven Years’ War in 1754, but it actually occurred from 1756 to 1763. “In the Seven Years’ War, France and Great Britain struggled to control eastern North America” (Davidson, J., 2006) The area between the Mississippi River and the Appalachian mountain range was contested as both nations claimed it. When the British won the Seven Years’ War, their colonial holdings doubled in size and they gained control of North America. “Conflicts over trading rights and the control of the Ohio country was the primary cause of the French and Indian War” (Davidson, J., 2006). British control of North American and the Seven Years’ War led to many problems as the British struggled to maintain their supremacy. The French came out behind in each of these struggles. They lost their position as highest colonial power for the next generation – their position would not be restored until the French Revolution of the 1790’s. Since each colony had run its own military campaigns for many years, the colonies were isolated from each other. While the Seven Years’ War did determine who would control the North American continent, conflicts caused by the war would still come. “The British Parliament was determined that the colonists obey their trade regulations, and passed the Sugar Act in 1764” (Davidson, J., 2006). Because of this act, the British colonists were taxed on molasses imported into the colonies. “1765’s Stamp Act extended the tax to include colonial taxes on newspapers and legal documents” (Davidson, J., 2006). Colonists were unhappy about this taxation and actively opposed it. The colonists believed that they should not be taxed since they had no parliamentary representation, and therefore could not agree to these policies. The British Parliament was alarmed by the colonial boycotts in protest against these taxes. “This resistance resulted in the overturning of the Stamp Act in 1766” (Davidson, J., 2006). The American Revolution found the American colonists challenging the most powerful Empire in the world – the British Empire – after repeated conflict. “The Americans won the battle of Yorktown, in Virginia, on October 19th, 1781” (Davidson, J., 2006). After the surrender of thousands of British soldiers, the British Empire eventually decided to make peace with the colonists. “The American Revolution ended on September 3rd, 1783, when the Americans and the British signed the Treaty of Paris” (Davidson, J., 2006). The Revolutionary War brought about revolutionary social, political, and economic change. American colonial society was never the same. Firstly, colonial society became more egalitarian rather than socially stratified. While the North did not approve of the continuation of slavery, the South did continue to hold slaves. The war also politically affected the lives of colonial women. Although it may seem slight compared to the position of women in modern day, women in the colonies did gain the right to divorce their husbands which has affected me personally. The right to divorce was not accepted in every colony. So as you can see the Seven Years’ War greatly impacted the lives of the colonists and may have made life better, especially for women, even though many stayed with their husbands for the security. The Seven Years’ War eventually brought down the British Empire and made life for the colonists more worthwhile. Reference: Davidson, J., Gienapp, W., Heyrman, C., Lytle, M., & Stoff, M. (2006), Nation of Nations: A Concise narrative of the American Republic (4th ed. Vols. 1, 2, and combined), Boston: McGraw Hill