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The Crisis Faced By The British Government Post The French and Indian War.
The British government witnessed stunning victories after the end of the French and Indian wars. They rejoiced at this triumph, and to add to this bliss was the signed advantageous treaty with the defeated France government, which seemed to promise that all lands east of Mississippi belonged to them henceforth (Ladenburg, 23). However, this excitement would be short-lived as the ruling government would face significant hitches that would shake them up and threaten their administration’s power. The three critical problems the government faced were: Western domains, trade rules, and finances.
Western Lands.
After the war ended, some Native Americans in some places, such as the Ohio Valley, felt they had and deserved the right to possess their ancestral land. Therefore, they resulted in any means of expelling the foreigners out of their lands, including even the use of violence. However, England defeated the mission of retaining their property since many pioneers got killed, and those who subsisted abandoned their farms. The British officials thought that the colonists couldn’t defend themselves since they could not supply any men, ammunition, or money to help in the preceding war. To avoid further fighting, British leaders advocated for stable garrisons to guard the colonist in this region. The proposal for more expansion in the same section brought more disagreements within the English leaders due to land use and ownership (Ladenburg, 24).
The solutions suggested countering these glitches included increasing soldiers’ reinforcement in North America to safeguard the colonists from assaults by their enemies. Also, The Proclamation of 1763 banned colonists from intruding on the areas dominated by the Native Americans until the British had a definitive solution. To culminate this, The Quartering Act of 1765 provided for colonists to assist in supporting troops based in America (Ladenburg, 27).
Trade Regulations.
The colonists were required to abide by the British laws that controlled their trade with England and other regions. However, they repeatedly defied this and avoided tax and tariffs required at colonial posts. Indeed, smuggling had become an earning lifestyle for many American traders. British discovered that progress in this direction would lead to the loss of more revenue than England deserved (Ladenburg, 24). Therefore, to lessen the effects of this problem, England implemented various regulations. The Sugar Act reduced tax on molasses, and by this, they expected to make smuggling less profitable. In addition, The Writs of Assistance,1761, gave customs officials the go-ahead to search households that were suspected to be harboring the illegal goods without first securing a search warrant. Also, more smugglers would be convicted due to the expansion of the jurisdiction of military courts. Finally, the inclusion of the navy in the reinforcement of trade regulations would increase efficiency and minimize the corruption of the customs officials (Ladenburg, 28).
Finances.
Following the several years of wars, the British reserves had been drained, and England had the burden of a huge debt to deal with. Furthermore, the recommendations mentioned above needed more budget allocation from the government. The British therefore said that the colonists should support a financial plan for their security. However, the colonists strongly resisted this as they believed they had no obligation for paying for a war they neither started nor needed. Besides, supporting a government that their opinions were of no matter had no logic. Despite the conflicts arising from this subject, England resolved to implement two acts: The Sugar Act, 1764, and The Stamp Act, 1765. The first act was initially for trade regulations, but it was now used to raise revenue. The latter placed taxes on legal documents, newspapers, dice, and playing cards (Ladenburg, 28). These generated more income for the British government.
The colonists viewed most of the solutions, especially taxation, as an attack on their freedom. This is because the British had rejected their suggestion of ‘no taxes without representation.’ I would term their reactions as reasonable since, like their counterparts in England, they deserved the right to vote about their taxes and be included in decision making.
Benjamin Franklin’s answer to the question of what type of government the delegates had created was: “A republic if you can keep it.” The response was concise, but in it lies important information for the people of America. It postulates that the independent states are not simply founded upon the consent of the people. They also rely on active and cognizant participation from the people to sustain the nationhood (Beeman, par10). Therefore, the constitution, not being a self-correcting document, it necessitates relentless commitment from all citizens. The precise meaning of the terms republic and democracy remained unsettled even during the composition of the United States constitution, and they are interchangeably used even today. In both cases, voters are endowed with the power to play a part in the reigning political system. They elect people to represent them in parliament, thus protecting their welfares in how the régime functions. However, the core dissimilarity is the degree to which people control the law-making process under each form of government. In a republic, the constitution forbids the government from limiting its rights even if the larger population liberally elected the administration. On the other hand, the voting majority has practically immeasurable supremacy over the minority. The United States aligns to neither of the two but instead is embraces both terms to be a democratic republic (Longley, par3)
Work Cited
Beeman, Richard R. “Perspectives on the Constitution: A Republic If You Can Keep It.” National Constitution Center, 2018. Retrieved from: https://constitutioncenter.org/learn/educational-resources/historical- documents/perspectives-on-the-constitution-a-republic-if-you-can-keep-it
Ladenburg, Thomas. “Problems That England Faced After the French and Indian War.” Chapter 6 The Problems That England Faced after the French and Indian War: 23-28.
Longley, Robert. Republic vs. Democracy: What Is the Difference? 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.thoughtco.com/republic-vs-democracy-4169936
Beeman, par1