The Seven Years War was a series of conflict between several countries including the colonies, Britain, France, Spain, Austria, Russia, Sweden, and Persia (Brinkley, 2012). While the war officially began in 1756, many of the colonists predicted the French and Indian war in the early 1750’s. Although Great Britain was still in control of the colonies, they provided very little help and support. This eventually worsened matters, especially when many colonists were constantly fighting off Indian tribes who were in alliance with the French. In fact, nearly every Indian tribe had ties to the France, excluding the Iroquois tribe due to the fear imposed by the British (History, 2014). As previously stated, the Seven Years War officially began in 1756 when France and England, for the first time, engaged in full-blown warfare. What made this war so significant were the alliances formed, which included England and Prussia, and France and Austria, countries who would have never joined forces in the past (Brinkley, 2012). In 1957, one year after the war began, England was struggling and defeat became quite common for the country. As a result, William Pitt was appointed to fix the problems England was facing in the war. Almost immediately, Pitt announced that the war in America was completely under British rule. Because the casualty count was so high, he decided to engage in impressment meaning that the colonists were basically forced to join the British army. Furthermore, the colonists were obligated by law to supply, feed, and provide shelter to British soldiers. Because so many Americans were fed up with England and their lack of support at the beginning of the war, hundreds of thousands of colonists began to revolt against the new policy, which nearly put a momentary stop to the war. In 1758, Pitt realized the important role the American colonists had played in foreign affairs and created a new plan. He decided to immediately credit the colonists back for their contributions to the British Army, granting the colonies full control over their army and even having sent numerous British troops to supply the colonial army (Brinkley, 2012). These factors, along with the simple reality that the French Army was much smaller than England’s, led to some of the many struggles the French began to encounter. In fact, the joint forces of England and the colonies played a significant role in the defeat of the French in 1758. Roughly ten months later, England acquired a significant victory in the siege of Quebec with the leadership of two highly respected generals, Wolfe and Amherst (History, 2014). In September 1760, the French finally surrendered to the English Army. By this time, America was beginning to decrease their involvement in actual warfare. While tensions between the French and English decreased, the colonies still offered bounties for the murdering of any person who was Native. As an act of retaliation, the French Army and several Indian tribes attacked and killed a large number of colonists in various settlements along the coast (Brinkley, 2012). In 1763, policy was about to change in Britain as a result of the appointment of new Prime Minister, George III. Unlike Pitt, George III was completely against the war and continuous hostilities between the countries. As a result, the Peace of Paris was signed granting England a large portion of the New World (History, 2014). Though the acquisition may have seemed to be quite beneficial at the time, England eventually established a large amount of debt. Many English colonists believed Americans should have given more to the war, since it was primarily benefiting them. Frustrations in England also increased when it became known that American merchants were exporting goods to the French colonies during the war. In America, however, the consists finally witnessed how England handled affairs in the New World, England’s inability to continue to enforce unfair policy proved to many colonists that the English were simply unable to appropriately control the colonies (U.S. History, 1999). Furthermore, the colonists gained confidence and recognized the unity of their army, which was much different than the arrogant reputation the English Army held. Though England may be seen the territory acquisition beneficial at the time, the French and Indian war was a stepping stone to the American Revolution (History, 2014). England was in a great deal of debt as a result of the French and Indian War. In 1763, policy was about to once again change with the new leadership of George Grenville. Much like the majority of key English leaders, Grenville believed that the colonies were partially responsible for the debt in England (Brinkley, 2012). He began to enact a series of new, unfair taxes and regulations on the colonies, eventually causing several crises, rebellions, and revolts within the colonists. In the eyes of the colonies, Grenville’s plan was seen as an unfair retaliation (U.S. History, 1999). As the taxes increased, so did the violence, eventually leading to the Boston Tea Party. “No taxation without representation” was heard around the world as the road to independence from England got closer.

References
History (2014). Article: Seven Years War. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/seven-years-war
U. S. History (1999). The French and Indian War. The Seven Years War. Retrieved from http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/frin.htm
Brinkley, A. (2012). American History: Volume 1: To 1865. McGraw Hill Education.