How Did The Colonists Live In The Early 1700s

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In the early 1700’s, everything was peaceful . The colonies were rapidly expanding and spreading west to the Appalachian Mountains in search of new farmland to feed the growing population. Trade was bustling, land was cheap, government was growing, and everyone was experiencing religious freedom after the great awakening. In just a century, the population had grown from 50,000 to nearly one million. England and King George III left the colonists alone for the most part and let them make their own decisions, which was very appealing to the million living in the colonies. Each city had its own assemblies, and just like British Parliament, they had the power to pass laws and create taxes. People in America had more freedom that anyone living in …show more content…

In 1754, the french built Fort Duquesne to stake their claim of the territory. This alarmed the governor of Virginia, so he sent George Washington and a small group of men to drive them out of the fort. Washington ordered his men to open fire when they approached a French search party camped in the woods. It was an easy victory. This was the first skirmish in a war called the French and Indian war that was a battle for territory and power. After battles that lasted for almost a decade, Great Britain and France signed an agreement that ended the war and gave Canada to the British. Americans and Britons alike were thrilled with the victory, the colonists had never felt so proud to be British. However, Great Britain was left in huge debt after the war. How would they make the money they needed if all the british citizens were already being taxed as much as they could pay? Great Britain came up with the “ingenious” solution of taxing the colonists without their consent who they had previously left alone. This upset the colonists to the point of rebellion, and this rebellion started the Revolutionary War. The most important factors that influenced the colonists to wage war against Britain were their fury at the taxes placed on them without their representation in Parliament and the king’s tyranny over other aspects of their